


Unexpected Affair

by Ariyana



Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attitude Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Circa 2002, Consensual Sex, Don’t copy to another site, Drama, Dressing Room Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Infidelity, Kayfabe is real some times, Locker Room Sex, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Power Play, Romance, Ruthless Aggression Era, Shameless Smut, Shower Sex, Smut, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-03-17 21:22:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18973021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariyana/pseuds/Ariyana
Summary: Stephanie and Undertaker end up having a liaison after Undertaker and Kurt Angle beat the crap out of Triple H in a main event tag team match up. One night leads them down a path neither ever expected.





	1. Heated Tryst

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the Smackdown show that took place on February 14, 2002. During that episode The Undertaker and Kurt Angle took on Triple H and Maven in a tag team main event match. But before that match happened, Taker and Kurt offered to bring back any body part of Triple H that Stephanie wanted on a silver platter. So this story is inspired by the chemistry that was going on in that backstage segment. 
> 
> In terms of Kayfabe/Real Life; Stephanie and Triple H are getting a divorce after she lied to him about being pregnant to get him to renew their vows on Raw and the Undertaker is still actually married to Sara, but this would be shortly before the conception of their first child. So think of this is a canon divergence!

After the beating that Undertaker and Kurt put on Triple H, Stephanie was feeling invigorated. It felt so good to see him utterly decimated, left as humiliated and broken physically as he had left her emotionally when he left her at the altar. Since he had chosen to leave her, she had no reason to remain loyal to him. Thus it was how she found herself with her back pressed against the wall in the locker room as she had her legs wrapped around the Undertaker’s waist. The pair kissing so hard and demanding, that it smeared her lip gloss, but she couldn’t care less as she raked her nails over his shoulder blades. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind that her lips would be swollen from this encounter.

Blindly he pulled the straps of his wrestling singlet down to his hips as their lips continued to collide. Roughly he ground his hips into hers, causing her to groan and growl into his mouth. Finally he managed to untie the back of her leather blouse, the fabric sliding down her chest to reveal her full breasts. Their lips momentarily breaking apart as they both gasped for air. Her bosom heaving as she grabbed his neck and pushed his head down to her chest, the silent command clear as he began to suckle upon one of her taut nipples. Her nails scraping his scalp as she yanked at the top of his hair.

He hissed at the pain, but it only served to goad him on. It wasn’t lost on him that this was the boss’ daughter not some random ring rat. By all rights neither should have let things get so far, but he couldn’t stop himself. Not even his wife was this forceful in her desires. Suddenly he felt himself be pushed backward as Stephanie tipped them over to the floor. The air forcibly leaving his lungs as his back hit the ground with her weight landing on his chest and midsection.

However she didn’t give him a chance to recover as her lips were upon his again with a ferocity that surprised him. Roughly she raked her nails down his chest as she pulled back from his mouth. Their gazes locked as she began unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. The next thing he felt was her hands dipping inside the fabric of his singlet, pulling his hardening cock free of its confines.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fuck you.” She whispered as she leaned near his ear, while her hand teasingly stroked his shaft.

“Oh? Define always.” He managed to groan out, his hands moving to grab her hair, pulling her down in another demanding kiss.

She hissed breaking away from his lips. “If you had tried to seduce me instead of stalking me back in the day. I totally would have helped you screw over my dad.” She admitted, even knowing the stalking had been at the behest of her brother, who had been under orders from her own father.

He chuckled darkly at that confession, keeping his grip on her face. “I almost considered going to you with the truth and asking for an alliance, but I thought you would say no. You seemed more like your mother back then.” He confessed, even as he groaned at the way she continued to stroke his cock.

“Oh now that’s a shame, we could have been a greater couple than Hunter and I ever were.” She growled, unable to hide her pout as she hiked up her leather skirt. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I want you here and now.” She added, practically impaling herself on his cock.

He let out a low growl as his cock was suddenly buried inside her. She felt so damn good, hot and throbbing around him. “Crap! Woman I’m gonna fuck you senseless!” He snapped, rolling them over and pinning her down on the floor, her bare feet pushing down his pants and singlet enough to expose his ass, while his hands pushed her skirt further up her hips. Once he started thrusting his pelvis against hers, there was nothing gentle in the action. Both their panting, grunting, moaning and groaning getting louder despite their best efforts to keep somewhat quiet.

He was absolutely relentless in the way he pounded his cock inside her swollen depths. She couldn't help but groan at the way his impressive girth and length stretched and penetrated her in a way that even her soon to be ex hadn't been able to do. Instinctively she drug her nails over his shoulders and back completely uncaring if his wife came across the marks on the man's skin later. In her mind's point of view, the man should have been hers from the start.

The friction kept mounting, the pressure starting to build in his groin, yet he was determined to feel her come first. Thus he pushed her legs up, angling himself so that every vicious stroke of his cock pounded against her g-spot, while the top his shaft rubbed against her clit. The move earning him a strangled cry out of her as she gripped his shoulders even tighter.

"Oh fuck yeah!" She managed to grit out, her toes practically curling as her body tightened and the heat in her pelvis pooled. Suddenly that tightly wrapped coil sprung loose and her entire body shuddered and shook down to her core like never before. She came so hard, that her juices came squirting, not only bathing his cock in her juices but wetting his lower abdomen. Heavily she panted, while keeping her eyes tightly shut.

She hadn't even noticed he stilled, until she heard him lightly chuckling. "Damn woman, you came pretty hard there, didn’t you?"

"Holy fuck!" She panted, still coming down from the euphoria of the moment. "I've never came that fucking hard before in _my life_!" She confessed. While she had had some great orgasms, she had never actually squirted. She didn't think her body was even capable of such a thing.

"In that case, I should make sure that wasn't a fluke." He said slyly. Her eyes momentarily widened, though before she could retort or protest he resumed his thrusting. All the sensations of his hard cock pounding into her even more acute. She was hyper aware of the way he was still beating against her g-spot, though this time he moved his hand down in between them to really rub at her clit, determined to make her come again.

"Mark!" She cried out in spite of herself, her nails digging so deeply into the skin on his back, that she was close to drawing blood. Her eyes rolling into the back of her head as her body stiffened and her juices came gushing again, soaking his hand, cock and pelvis. Despite the mess, he continued pounding her through her massive orgasm chasing his own release.

"I'm close…" He warned, hoping she had enough presence of mind to give him her instructions.

"Go ahead…" She managed to pant out in between her moans and groans. "...I'm covered."

While she had lied to Hunter about being pregnant and she had even intended to stop taking her birth control shots, she hadn't done so yet. Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since she wanted Mark to come deep inside her. The fact that he was only the second man that she allowed to fuck her _without_ a condom on was a testament to how badly she wanted him in the first place.

Suddenly he buried his face against her neck, his cock finally erupting inside her. He grunted out her name as he kept thrusting, milking himself inside her until he collapsed on top of her. Lightly she rubbed his back, while they both caught their breath. She didn't know if it were just the situation or if it were the man himself but she knew that was some if not the best sex she had ever had. While the locker room liked to call her a slut the list of men she had been with wasn't _that_ extensive. But there _was_ a list and Mark had just put himself at the top of it as the best she ever had.

"Sorry about your back, Mark." She apologized, gently rubbing over the fingernail marks she left  on his skin.

"It's alright, I'll live." He replied, still pressing kisses to her neck. Even though, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide those marks and scratches on his back from his wife. He couldn't bring himself to give a damn. Slowly he lifted his head to make eye contact with her. They locked gazes for a long moment, her blue eyed gaze burning into his green eyed gaze. They both noted the shift in the mood as their lips came together again. This time the kiss between them feeling far more meaningful than the lust fueled kisses they had shared moments earlier.

When they finally broke the kiss, their lips hovered against each other. Gently she cupped his face in her hands, never breaking eye contact. "I think our timing stinks." She whispered, kissing his bottom lip.

"Yeah, it does." He agreed, kissing her again. After several long moments of holding each other, he slowly pried himself off of her. Both gingerly climbing to their feet. They were both a mess and their clothes were partly ruined.

"Good thing this is a locker room and not a dressing room as my dad likes to call them." Stephanie joked, finding her bag and pulling her toiletries and towels out. "I'm going to clean up before heading back to the hotel." She declared, stripping off her ruined leather outfit as she walked toward the showers.

He inhaled sharply watching her fully nude form saunter into the shower area. "Dammit, this isn't gonna end well for me." He whispered to himself. The precariousness of his situation wasn't lost on him. He was very much a married man, but he found himself longing after the boss' daughter. After a few minutes of thought, he stripped off his own clothing and grabbed his own shower stuff before heading into the shower area to join her. He'd deal with the repercussions later.

 

xXx

 

While she hadn't directly invited him into the showers with her, she hoped he picked up on the silent invitation. Obviously when she started her day, she hadn't thought this would be the way it ended. However she didn't regret it. The moment she turned on the warm spray and felt the water beat down against her naked skin was the moment Mark decided to join her.

"Hey you." She spoke over her shoulder, letting the beads of water flow down her chest.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked even as he crossed the distance, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She quickly turned around to get met with another hungry kiss. Easily he lifted her up, while urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. Meanwhile the water continued to pour over them, wetting their hair down and causing her eye makeup to run down her face. Instinctively she laughed, while wiping at her face.

"At least let me clean my face off." She told him, grabbing her face cloth from the small rack on the side of them. Quickly she wiped at her eyes trying to remove the excess eye shadow as to not be blinded, she’d worry about the rest of it later. Almost immediately upon her tossing the cloth aside, his lips were upon hers again. So much for getting clean. She couldn’t help but groan out under Mark’s ministrations, the man knew exactly what he was doing as he released her legs from around his waist.

Abruptly he dropped to his knees in front of her, placing one of her legs over his shoulder as he leaned in to run his long tongue through her folds. Her hands instantly moved to his head gripping tightly as she rolled her hips against his face. “Fuck…” She muttered, upon feeling Mark’s fingers push inside her cunt, while his other hand gripped one of her tight ass cheeks. He was doing an excellent job of pushing her toward that edge again with nothing but his mouth and fingers. She failed at keeping the string of expletives and moans from coming out of her own mouth the closer she got to tumbling over. Suddenly he lifted her other leg onto his shoulders as he doubled his efforts in lapping and suckling through her folds, while thrusting and twisting two fingers repeatedly inside her swollen cunt.

“Mark!” She squealed, pulling at the top of his hair. She was quite thankful for the noise the shower water created, helping to mask the noise they were making as she couldn’t stop herself from screaming out as she came again. Her juices practically squirting out against his mouth, greedily he lapped up the mess he created, relishing the taste of her on his tongue. Her legs felt like putty by the time he released them from his shoulders that she almost slid down to the floor. If not for his strength, she wouldn’t be able to stand at all.

“Getting tired already? Where’s that fire from earlier?” He teased, roughly spinning her around, so that she was facing the wall, while he pressed his chest against her back. Slowly one of his hands rubbed over her ass, while the other hand reached around to squeeze one of her ample breasts, playfully tweaking at her taut nipple.

“What can I say? You’re wearing me out, big guy.” She breathily teased back, pushing her ass out against his hand.

“I hope not, we’ve only just started.” He whispered against her ear, while his hands moved to grab her waist. Immediately he began grinding his cock against her ass, teasing her folds. Her hands moved down to grab his wrists as she let out another squeal, quite surprised at how close he was at being ready to go again.

“You really are a Phenom in more ways than one.” She groaned, though her tone was laced with amusement. Instinctively she began grinding her ass against his shaft, trying to gain some leverage against him. He’d been dominating her, since the first time he made her squirt. Thus she needed to show him, he wasn’t the only one with tricks up his sleeve. Though her retaliation was short lived as he forced her to bend over as he thrust his cock back into her wet depths.

“Fuck, I swear you feel too damn good.” He grunted, holding her waist in his iron grip, while he thrust into her from behind. His pelvis slowly slapping against her ass at a steady speed.

Soon her hands were back on the wall for support, her moans and groans growing louder as the friction increased, bringing her closer to yet another orgasm. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was trying to ruin her for other men as he was raising the bar even higher than Hunter had. After a few minutes he had her squealing yet again as he increased the pace of his thrusts, while his fingers rubbed at her clit again. The sensations quickly becoming too much for her as she felt her body tighten once more, if not for his hands on her hips, she would have fallen as her legs gave way on her.

“Oh god…” She cried out, coming for a fourth time just as hard as the last three times he pushed her over the edge. Her vision blurred white as her body shook to her center. All the while he pressed her against the wall as he chose to keep pounding his cock inside her, refusing to let up, even as she was in the throes of an orgasm. Instinctively she clawed at the slippery walls, as her body started to stiffen and shake yet again, her brain threatening to shut down from the onslaught of pleasure that was overwhelming her senses. It didn’t stop until she felt him empty his seed inside her with a roar, giving her one last hard thrust as he filled her cunt up with his hot cum.

Heavily he leaned against the wall, supporting both her weight and his own as they both tried to catch their breaths. Surprisingly the water was still warm as it sprayed over both them rinsing the sweat from their skin. Suddenly he slipped backwards onto the shower floor, bringing her down with him. She let out a surprised yelp, that quickly turned into a laugh as she rest her head back against his chest.

“Christ, Mark. You won’t be happy until I am walking out of here with a limp.” She joked, reaching up to grip his neck.

“It’s your fault for being so damn hot.” He teased, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead. “I can’t help but want to fuck your brains out.”

Stephanie laughed even as she panted, continuing to rest against his chest, while they still laid upon the shower floor. “You have almost succeeded in doing just that.” She confessed, tilting her head up so that she could look up at his face better. Gently she caressed his cheek, her eyes reflecting a quickly growing affection for the Dead man. “We should probably clean up and get out of here, before they lock this place up for the night.” She added after a moment.

“True, but I’m kinda hesitant to end things.” He admitted, while lightly rubbing her arm that gripped his neck.

“It doesn’t have to end. Come back to my suite?” She offered, finding that she didn’t want to part company with him yet either. Married or not, she wanted the man too much not to try and tempt him over to her side.

He remained silent for a moment, thinking her proposition over, though he continued to caress her arm as she rested against his chest. Slowly but surely, he felt himself giving into her. At this rate, there would be no way his marriage would survive this infidelity and well he wasn’t sure that he wanted it to survive. He couldn’t explain it, but the attraction between him and Stephanie was stronger than he ever could have imagined. There was no way, he could resist her after all of this. “Alright, how can I say no, when you ask so sweetly?” He replied teasingly as she finally turned around to kiss him.

Slowly they stood up and began actually cleaning up, making it as quick as they could. By the time they exited the shower area, they chose to dry off and get dressed in fresh clothing. Nothing fancy in the least as he went for his jeans and a t-shirt and she put on a tank top and yoga pants. As he tied a bandanna around his head, she pinned her hair up in a messy bun. Luckily no one that mattered was around to see them exit the locker room and head to the parking garage. They kissed one last time, before splitting off to go their respective rental cars with the promise that they would meet back up at the hotel. Both fully expected that it would be a long a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may or may not turn into a multi-chapter fic or a series of connected one shots. I haven't decided yet. Fun fact, this was originally conceived as a threesome smut fic featuring Stephanie, Undertaker and Kurt Angle, but my wrestling OTP didn't want to share with Kurt. Oh well.
> 
> My other Stephanie/Taker story should be updated soon. I'm almost finished with the chapter, but the plotbunny for this story wouldn't let me go until I wrote it.
> 
> Update: So I'm going with another multi-chapter fic here. I just don't have a full plan yet for how long it will be.


	2. Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara figures out who her husband has been fooling around with and things quickly come to a head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struck with more ideas for this story and the consequences of one's actions. So I'm going with it. I'm not sure how long it will go, but I do enjoy throwing curve balls at my favorite wrestling OTP. So definitely things will be veering off into an alternate timeline.

There was so much anger and so much hurt, when Mark had came home from his last trip with scratch marks on his back. While he had tried to play the scratches off as something he had gotten during a match, she knew better. Though the most damning of evidence was the fact that some of his clothing reeked of someone else’s perfume. She knew the scent of her husband’s cologne and various deodorants. While the scent was vaguely familiar, she couldn’t quite place it.

“Are you serious, Mark? The scratches? The foreign perfume on your clothes? Who the hell are you fooling around with? Was it one of your groupies or one of those sluts you work with!?” Sara questioned, accusingly, while throwing one of his t-shirts into his face.

“For fuck’s sake, Sara. Just leave it alone!” He shouted, refusing to answer her questions.

“Are you kidding me right now?! You’ve been fucking someone else behind my back and you expect me to drop it!” She shouted right back, growing even more angry.

“You’re being fucking paranoid! I’m not fucking anyone else!” He lied, instantly regretting it. But it was too late now to take it back. “I told you, the scratches were just an accident from a match. As far as the perfume goes, that doesn’t prove a damn thing. I take pictures with fans all the time and some of them just happen to wear strong perfume.”

“I’m not stupid, Mark! The fact you are trying to explain this shit away makes me think it is one of the sluts you work with instead of some random groupie!” Sara continued to accuse.

“Of course, you ain’t stupid, but you are being psycho right now!” He snapped.

“Fuck you, Mark! You aren’t going to turn this around on me, you lying sack of shit! If I find out who the bimbo is, I’m kicking hers and your ass! Believe it!” Sara threatened, storming off in a huff.

Immediately Mark let out a frustrated sigh as he had really stepped into it this time around. If Sara found out about Stephanie, all hell would break loose and he’d have Vince coming down on him hard in the process.

 

xXx

 

It had been a couple of weeks since she and Mark had hooked up. They had ended up spending the night together, most of it spent ravishing one another rather than doing any sort of sleeping. However once they parted ways the next morning that had been the end of it. He was married and she was getting a divorce. Things were far too complicated to continue seeing one another intimately, thus they agreed to keep things professional and never speak of their one moment of weakness.

For the most part, she was fine with that arrangement as she had an ex-husband to crush. Thus she ended up forming an alliance with former enemy now turned ally, Chris Jericho. While things with them were platonic, they decided to play things up to make it seem as though they could be more intimately involved. If only to really piss Hunter off and it seemed to be working much to Stephanie’s delight. She and Chris were headed toward their locker room, passing through craft services, when they walked by Taker’s wife, Sara.

“Hey Sara.” Stephanie greeted in unison with Jericho. Sara immediately stiffened as she turned to face the pair. There was a momentarily look of disbelief in her eyes, before she stepped closer to Stephanie as though examining something.

“You okay?” Stephanie asked, no selling the tenseness of the situation.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Sara asked, accusingly.

Stephanie merely continued to no sell the situation, looking at Sara in sheer confusion. “What was me?” She asked, pretending not to have a clue what Sara was talking about.

“Bitch, I recognize that perfume you are wearing!” She snapped, stepping into Stephanie’s face.

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Stephanie snapped back.

‘Whoa ladies, clearly there is some sort of misunderstanding happening here.” Jericho tried to intervene as the two women were garnering a small audience.

“I’m talking about you not being able to keep your own husband, so going after mine instead!” She yelled loud enough for anyone in the area to hear.

“Oh please! We don’t have that sort of relationship! You are barking up the wrong tree!” Stephanie insisted, though Sara wasn’t buying it.

Suddenly Sara pushed Stephanie hard enough to almost knock her down, but Jericho caught her. Stephanie stood up straight looking caught between shock and anger that Sara put her hands on her.

“Stay away from my husband!”

“Bitch, I’m not trying to take your husband! But if I wanted him, I would have had him.” Stephanie spat out, immediately slapping Sara down.

“Oh shit!” Jericho said, moving in between the two women as Sara lunged in retaliation at Stephanie. Quickly he grabbed Stephanie as Steve Austin moved in to grab Sara. The two men swiftly pulling the ladies in different directions as the two women shouted and berated each other, drawing an even bigger audience.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Vince shouted, walking into the scene going on in the craft services area, while Undertaker and Kurt Angle were only a few steps behind him.

“Fuck man, come get your wife, she’s going apeshit over here!” Steve snapped at Taker, who quickly moved over to Steve and Sara to try and help calm her down. While Kurt went over to help Jericho with Stephanie.

The moment Steve let his grip on Sara go, she immediately slapped Taker, garnering a gasp from the small crowd of people coming to see what the commotion was about. Stephanie who had been struggling against Chris and Kurt, stopped moving as Sara’s outburst against Taker pissed Stephanie off far more than when she was personally shoved by the other woman.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Taker asked, trying to keep his cool. He just couldn’t fathom that Sara could figure out that Stephanie was the one he had been with that fateful night. How could she? It wasn't as though Stephanie signed her name across his back.

“You and her are nothing but fucking liars!” Sara said through gritted teeth.

“Sara, what exactly do you think that Mark and my daughter are lying about here?” Vince finally asked as things were quickly getting out of hand and he hated the lack of control in the situation.

“The fact they have been sleeping together!” She announced to several shock gasps.

Taker immediately looked blindsided by the accusation, while Stephanie looked like she was about to beat someone’s ass.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! That’s a pretty big accusation to be making!” Kurt interjected, instantly taking Stephanie’s side. “Contrary to popular belief around here, Stephanie is a stand up woman! She wouldn’t mess around with a married man.” He insisted.

“Kurt has got a point. You sure something is actually going on between them? You were the one whispering in my wife’s ear about some of the girls being ‘too friendly’ with me, when that wasn’t even the case.” Steve chimed in, reminding her of the clusterfuck she caused when Debra went off on Torrie Wilson for being her normal friendly self around him.

Vince however remained silent, looking between his daughter and the Undertaker, the wheels in his mind spinning. While both continued to no sell the situation, he had a feeling that Sara wasn’t off on her instinct regarding the pair. In his estimation, they both seemed to carry an aura of guilt.

“This is so stupid! We aren’t sleeping together!” Stephanie piped up, her frustration with the situation bubbling over. “And thanks for putting that out in the universe! That’s just the sort of crap rumors I need to be dealing with, while I’m in the middle of getting a divorce.” She added, shaking herself loose from Chris and Kurt’s grasp, before storming off in a huff.

“I know you’re lying! You’re the only one that wears that perfume around here, I bet the shit is designer!” Sara shouted after Stephanie.

"Christ woman, you're making a scene over nothing!" Taker snapped, looking completely dumbfounded. The last thing he needed or wanted was rumors spreading that he and Stephanie were having an affair. Especially since he and Steph had decided not to pursue anything. Finally he moved in to pick Sara up and toss her over his shoulder, even as she started to flail.

"Put me down, dammit!" She yelled and struggled to no avail as Taker carried her out of the craft services area back to his dressing room.

 

xXx

 

A couple of hours later Stephanie found herself heading to her father's makeshift office in the arena. The last thing she wanted was her father grilling her on Sara's accusations. But that was exactly what she was expecting. Her gut instincts proving to be correct as she spotted Mark heading to her dad's office.

The moment they made eye contact, they both braced themselves for what was to come. Stephanie didn't bother to knock as she opened the door to his office. "Hey dad, you wanted to talk to us?" She asked walking in with Mark a few steps behind her.

Mark immediately closed the door behind him, before moving off to the side. He was still pretty angry with Sara for her outburst and causing the ruckus backstage in the first place. Now he was going to have to deal with people speculating over his and Stephanie’s relationship to each other.

"Yes, I did. I'm sure you both know what this is about."

Stephanie let out a disgruntled sigh. "Oh good grief." She muttered.

Mark merely rolled his eyes, but otherwise remained silent.

"I know, neither of you want to deal with this. But unfortunately in this day and age, this rumor is going to spread like wildfire. I don't know with certainty if it is true or not, but the internet fans will take it as the gospel truth." Vince said, hating that he wouldn't be able to fully bury this one especially if Sara kept running her mouth.

"No…" Stephanie replied, before her father could finish his thoughts. "You are not even thinking what I think you are!"

"Just hear me out Steph. I'm not exactly pleased with either of you right now. While I am inclined to believe you that this hasn’t been some long term thing. I think I know you both well enough to know there is some truth to Sara’s accusations." Vince stated rather calmly. “Honestly, I’m more disappointed at your inability to keep it quiet. Your perfume is a rather unique one around here, sweetheart.”

Both Stephanie and Mark looked away from Vince, still stubbornly refusing to admit to any wrongdoing. They were both still committed to the lie that nothing had happened between them.

“Look, the only way to downplay this is to add it to the storylines and present it as a work. It’s the only way to throw the fans off of what is true and what is fake.”

“Oh come on, how is it going to look for that to come out of nowhere?” Stephanie questioned, looking completely incredulous at the suggestion that they make an affair storyline between her and Taker. “He’s been torturing Ric Flair and I’m partnered with Chris Jericho.”

“You two are heels, find a way to make it work!” Vince insisted.

“Seriously? I’m with Stephanie on this, it would come way out of left field.” Mark finally spoke, definitely not wanting to deal with a storyline romance between him and Stephanie. Mainly because it would likely be far more damning to them than helping them with any sort of damage control.

“Would it? As I recall you were the one to offer to bring her Triple H’s heart on a silver platter a few weeks back.” Vince reminded them, causing both Stephanie and Mark to stiffened where they stood. Vince immediately picked up on their body language. Lightly he shook his head. “Heh, so is that when your little indiscretion took place?” He asked, looking far too smug for both their taste.

Neither of them denied or confirmed his question, but Vince took it as a resounding ‘yes’. Funny enough, while he was angry with them for being outed as having an affair, he wasn’t against the idea of them as a couple. As far as wrestlers, his daughter could get mixed up with, Mark wasn’t a bad choice. If Mark had been single, he probably would have encouraged the relationship between the two. “I commend you both on committing to no selling this situation, but your performances aren’t flawless. I can see the little chinks in your armor. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.” Vince told them frankly.

Instinctively Mark rubbed at his face in frustration, while Stephanie grabbed her forehead. What a fucking mess they made with one night of weakness. Neither could have predicted that things would just go falling into such a huge clusterfuck. And now Vince wanted to make that clusterfuck into a storyline for the fans.

“Dad, I really don’t see how making us a storyline will defuse things. It’s not like Sara will cooperate this time around. You saw how pissed she is.” Stephanie replied, not bothering to deny anything.

“She doesn’t need to be involved this time around.” Vince pointed out. “It’s likely better if she weren’t involved anyway.”

“Oh this is going to go over well with my wife.” Mark said sarcastically.

“Well I guess you should have considered that before your little tryst with my daughter.” Vince said without any sort of remorse.

Mark glared, but had no retort since Vince wasn’t wrong with that observation. Of course that didn’t make him any less annoyed with Vince for tossing it back in his face.

“Things would have been a lot easier, if you had your lapse in judgement when you were _both_ single.” Vince scoffed.

“Christ, don’t you think we know that!” Stephanie finally snapped. Basically confirming what their body language and silence had confirmed earlier.

Vince looked at his daughter for a long moment, now that her full emotions were on display. He could see how conflicted she was over her poor judgement. But there was something else going on beneath that facade of hers. He quickly spared a glance to Mark to see him looking toward Stephanie with genuine concern on his face. Lightly Vince shook his head again, what a mess. As much as he just wanted to give her a hug and make everything go away. He knew that realistically he wouldn’t be able to keep things entirely ‘hush hush’. There would be endless speculation and she and Mark would be put under a microscope, every instance of them sharing screen time would be analyzed. At least as a storyline, people would be less inclined to dig into their personal business because they would think everything was being put out there.

“Stephanie, if we try to ignore the rumors, they are just going to keep hounding you both. Making it a storyline puts it front and center, and it gives us the opportunity to present it in the light that we want.” Vince explained his reasoning further.

Mark frowned, but he understood what Vince was saying. He knew how quickly stuff like this could get out of hand. It was likely spreading as they spoke right now. Once again he glanced over to Stephanie, fighting down the urge to comfort her. It would only make matters more complicated if he did.

“How do _you_ want us to handle this, Vince? It’s your idea, you can’t expect us to just randomly introduce this storyline.” Mark asked, if he was going to agree to this, then he had to know how it was going to be presented to the audience.

“You’re right. That’s why I’m thinking you, Kurt Angle and Jericho can team against Triple H, Rob Van Dam and Kane tonight. Stephanie will be ringside for it as she generally there to support Jericho anyway. I’m sure you two can work in hints that something is going on between you during a match like that.”

“You want to introduce it, tonight?” Stephanie asked, her stomach immediately sinking.

“Just some hints, nothing concrete yet. The sooner, we introduce the storyline the better. And Mark it is probably better if you send Sara home before tonight, since we’re practically in your backyard.” Vince suggested, though it was more an order than a suggestion and Mark knew it.

“If you want her gone, then I should handle that now.” Mark replied, feeling less than enthused over these turn of events. Storyline or no, his current situation was a trainwreck.

 

xXx

 

By the time, Mark reached his locker room, Sara had mostly calmed down but she was clearly still pissed.

“Get your stuff, Vince wants you gone.” Mark said firmly, not even in the mood to deal with her temper.

“Of course, he’d take his daughter’s side.” Sara sneered.

“This isn’t about sides. You’re the one who caused a damn scene. The time of you hanging out with me at work is over. Because of your wild accusations, Vince has decided that he wants Stephanie and I to move forward with a stupid “romantic” storyline.”

Sara looked at Mark in sheer disbelief. Her husband was not telling her that his boss planned on throwing him and Stephanie into a storyline to publicize their affair.

“And you are going to go through with that?” Sara asked,incredulously.

“I don’t have much choice in the matter. Vince is my boss and once he makes up his mind, that’s it.” He replied, barely keeping a lid on his anger.

“Don’t tell me that you couldn’t have said no!” She snapped, striking out at him again, though this time he caught her wrist before she could connect.

“Enough! Get your stuff, you are going home!” He snapped back, his anger palpable enough that Sara backed off. “Just do it!” He added, so very tired of the situation already.

Begrudgingly she moved to gather her things, clearly still seething. However she knew Mark well enough not to push her luck. Just because he hadn’t been violent toward her didn’t mean he couldn’t snap on her. She was just so angry and hurt, that she honestly felt like crying, but she had made enough of a scene for one day. She wasn’t going to let anyone see her breakdown.

She was completely silent as Mark escorted her through the backstage all the way to the arena garage, where a driver awaited. The driver quickly exiting the car to grab Sara’s bags and put them into the trunk.

“I’m sorry about all of this, Sara.” He apologized, even though she refused to make eye contact with him. Slowly he moved his hand up to touch her chin and tip her head upward. Finally she looked at him, her pain on display for him to see. “I didn’t want things to end up this way.” He added, his voice going to his more naturally softer tone.

“The fact that you are choosing your career over us, makes things crystal clear to me.” She whispered, holding back the dam that was close to breaking. “We’re over, Mark. I won’t play second fiddle to wrestling, and by extension the boss’ daughter. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

Mark let his hand fall away. He couldn’t say he was surprised to hear those words coming out of her mouth, but they still stung. This made him a two time failure at being married. “So be it.” He whispered back, moving to open the car door for her. “I will be back home in a couple of days, so I expect us to have a long talk then.”

She didn’t bother replying because she was sure that she would just break down in tears and she refused to let him see her cry. Thus she climbed into the backseat without another word to Mark. He shut the door and tapped on the roof to signal to the driver he was good to go. Silently he watched as the car pulled away, his throat growing dry as he felt the weight of his decision crushing him. From behind, he heard someone clear their throat to announce themselves. He turned his head to see his brother standing near the backstage entrance.

“That was brutal. Do you want to talk about it?” Kane asked, he and his brother hadn’t talked in a while and they were working different storylines so their paths hadn’t been crossing. That was until Vince informed him of the six man tag match taking place along with the fact that Taker and Stephanie would be starting a program that night. That had been enough information to have Kane seek out his brother and see how he was doing. Especially after he heard about the scene with Sara and Stephanie that happened earlier in the day.

“Not really.” Mark answered simply. He wasn’t one to really talk about his feelings with anyone, let alone his brother. “Thanks for the offer though.” He added, finally moving to head back inside. Kane merely nodded, knowing that whatever his brother was going through, he’d talk about it when he was ready and not a moment sooner.

 


	3. It Begins...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara isn't the only one who has a bad reaction to learning of Stephanie and Undertaker's pending storyline.

Triple H had heard about the confrontation between Stephanie and Taker's wife Sara. Word had been, she was accusing Steph of sleeping with Taker. A notion that pissed Triple H off, even more than the idea she might be shacking up with Jericho. The fact that Vince was so keen to start a storyline only cemented to him that the affair had indeed happened.

The moment he came across Taker, he immediately stepped into his face. "Hey big man, heard you and Stephanie are being booked in a storyline romance." He said dryly.

"It's a little late to start getting jealous, isn't it Hunter?" Taker retorted, sounding unimpressed with Triple H. "You dumped her at the altar, remember? So you've lost the right to comment on her storylines." He added in a cold tone.

" _I_ _s it_ just a storyline, Dead man? I heard about your old lady, throwing a fit earlier." Triple H asked, stepping closer to Taker refusing to back down.

"It's really not any of your business, because _you_ dumped her! So I suggest you get out of my face, before I bust you in yours." Taker replied coolly, refusing to let Triple H try and intimidate him. He wasn't in the mood for the other man's posturing all things considered.

"Save it for the ring, Hunter." Came Vince McMahon's voice as he walked up.

Triple H looked between Vince and Taker before scowling and finally walking away. Lightly Vince shook his head, not even surprised that Triple H would try to confront Taker over Stephanie.

"I'm getting just a little tired of his possessive streak over my daughter, when he's the one who chose to end their relationship." Vince said dryly.

"Luckily I'm not easily intimidated. I'll crush him the same as I crush Ric Flair." Taker replied matter of factly.

Vince instantly smirked remembering why he enjoyed having the Undertaker as one of his boys. He never considered the possibility of his only daughter forming an alliance with the Phenom, but perhaps he should have thought of it.

"I don't doubt that." Vince replied as he gave a light pat to Taker's shoulder. "Have you and Stephanie managed to discuss any spots for tonight's match?"

"Not yet, I was on my way to find her, when Hunter decided he wanted to be a jackass."

"Well in that case don't let me keep you." Vince replied before walking off toward his office.

Taker lightly shook his head as he walked off toward Stephanie and Jericho's locker room.

 

xXx

 

Stephanie sat in her locker room/dressing room alone. Jericho had left to find Angle to discuss strategies for their six man tag match later that night. Meanwhile Steph was nursing a stress induced headache, when Triple H stormed into the room uninvited.

"So I heard about you and Taker. How long have you two had a thing?" He demanded.

"Why do you care? You humiliated me at the altar, so I don't owe you anything, let alone an explanation. Maybe it's a shoot or maybe it's a work, but I'll never tell you which!" She snapped, not in the mood for any of his crap.

"You rotten skank! If I find out that you were cheating on me with the dead man, while we were still together, I'll pay you both back a thousand fold!" He snapped back.

"Whatever Hunter, you don't have the right to be jealous! You walked away from me! Whomever I'm involved with is no longer your concern. Now get out of my dressing room!"

Before Triple H could retort, he felt a large hand grab his shoulder and roughly spin him around. His eyes widened at seeing one angry Undertaker staring down at him.

"You are really starting to piss me off here!" Taker said firmly, ready to clock Triple H upside his head. Before the other man could react, Taker had him by the throat, ready to chokeslam him to the floor if need be.

"Wait a minute, Taker." Stephanie said, climbing to her feet. Swiftly she moved into Triple H's eye line. "Hunter, instead of concerning yourself with which of my storylines is a work or a shoot. How about you concentrate on the one you know for a fact is real? We're done, you saw to that. So I'm going to take great pleasure in making you suffer at every turn." She told him coldly, before moving out of the way to let the Undertaker handle him.

The moment she was out of harm's way, Triple H found himself getting roughly tossed against the open door. He landed on his back into the hallway right at Jericho and Angle's feet.

"Oh look, it seems like you had an uninvited guest in your dressing room." Kurt said with a smirk, just as he and Jericho put the boots to him. Though security broke things up before the Game could get really injured.

"You punks are going down tonight!" Triple H shouted, while getting dragged away.

"Take a hike, junior! No one here is scared of you!" Jericho retorted as he and Angle walked into the dressing room and slammed the door shut.

Stephanie was leaning back on the sofa rubbing her temples as her headache was still going full force.

"You okay, Steph?" Kurt asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah, I'll live. Dumbass just aggravated my headache." She replied, leaning forward to rest her face into her palms. “Please tell me, you guys plan to kick the shit out of him.”

“I think that’s a given by this point.” Taker pointed out, making himself comfortable on the other side of the sectional sofa in the room.

Jericho and Kurt chuckled as they both nodded their own agreement. “Glad we found you, Taker. We tried your dressing room, but I guess we just missed you.” Kurt said, leaning back on couch.

“Yeah, I came looking for you guys.” Taker chuckled. “Do you guys have a game plan?”

“A basic one. Beat the crap out of Triple H and just neutralize Kane and Rob Van Dam as much as possible.” Jericho said, frankly. “Usually I get Steph out of sticky situations, but if you want to take that over for this match in order to drop hints to your latest storyline, that’s cool with me.”

“All things considered, I’m pretty sure, Hunter is going to try to attack Steph. He’s an ass that way.” Kurt said matter of factly.

“Yeah, he’s tried to pedigree me like three times already. So what’s a fourth try at this point.” Stephanie agreed, still rubbing her forehead.

“What did you ever see in him? He dumps you and then continuously tries to physically assault you. Just what the fuck?” Taker asked, kinda amazed at how nonchalant the three of them were about Triple H constantly attacking her. By no means was he a saint when it came to dealing with some of the ladies in the company, but he couldn't fathom repeatedly assaulting any woman, let alone his wife or even ex-wife.

Stephanie sighed as she slowly pushed her hair back out of her face. “He wasn’t always a dick to me. I mean you guys saw us. We were partners in crime for a while there until Jericho and Benoit put him out. After that injury, he changed and not for the better. He kept getting mad at me for going out and handling business without him. We started to constantly get into arguments, butting heads over everything. It just got to the point where now I see, he wanted to control me. He _still_ wants to control me.” She explained, while rubbing over her forehead.

“Took you long enough to realize that you married a control freak, princess.” Taker retorted.

Stephanie let out an amused scoff at that remark. “Like my whole family isn’t comprised of them.” She pointed out.

“You’re pretty guilty of that yourself, right?” Jericho asked, slyly.

“Whatever Jericho.” She replied with an eye roll. "This control freak has been helping you keep that title, right?"

"Touché, princess." Jericho conceded.

"Look, my head is killing me. I'm going to hunt down some pain relievers." Stephanie said as she climbed to her feet. She slightly stumbled, but Kurt instantly reached out to steady her.

"Do you need help, Steph?" Kurt asked, clearly concerned for her. She was his friend after all.

"It's fine." She said, waving off the offer.

"Steph, maybe you should let one of us help you. Especially with Hunter being a bigger jackass than usual, today." Jericho suggested, while giving a side glance to Taker.

Undertaker side glanced back at Jericho's not so subtle hint that he should be the one protecting her. While normally he would have been irritated to be put on the spot, he did need to speak to her about their pending storyline.

"Come on, princess. I'll watch your back." He said, climbing to his feet before she could protest.

Stephanie merely sighed, quickly realizing she wouldn't be winning this argument. "We'll be right back." She said, heading toward the door with Taker right behind her.

The moment they left the dressing room, Kurt looked over to Jericho with a frown. "What was that about?"

"Come on, Kurt. They need to talk without an audience. Especially if they are going to go through with that storyline Vince is locking them in." He replied. He didn't know for sure, if Sara's accusations were true, but honestly he didn't care. Stephanie and the Undertaker were both adults, and this was their mess to sort through.

 

xXx

 

They walked in awkward silence for a moment, as Stephanie rubbed at her temple. While she knew they needed to talk, she kinda didn't want to. She had managed to bury her feelings after their tryst, but the events of the day so far, had her feelings coming back in full force. She honestly wasn't sure how she was going to handle working a romantic storyline with Mark, when she could feel true feelings beyond the initial lust blossoming for him.

For his part, he wasn't sure what to say to her. The day so far had been nothing but a huge mess. He was still reeling from Sara's final declaration before he sent her back home. He seemed to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. While he was certain that he could fight to win Sara back, he wasn't so sure he wanted to fight at all. Staying with his wife and pretending nothing had happened with Stephanie had seemed like the easier option. But that had just been wishful thinking on his part.

After a few more minutes of silence between them, they reached the trainer's room. Luckily no one else but the trainer was there. Immediately the trainer glanced up at the pair. "You alright, Ms. McMahon?" He asked noting the way she was grasping her head.

"I’ve got a headache, I'm in desperate need of some pain relievers." She told him as she slightly stumbled again. Though Taker was quick to steady her.

"Maybe you should lie down for a bit. I'll go get you something for your headache." The trainer suggested, pointing to one of the therapy tables.

Though before Stephanie could protest Taker lifted her up on the table. "Just rest a few minutes. You obviously need it." He told her, letting some of his concern for her surface in his tone.

Seeing the brief flash of concern in his eyes was enough to make her feel guilty. "Fine." She sighed, lying back on the table, immediately she rested her forearm over her eyes.

"We still need to figure out this storyline business." He said, choosing now to address the elephant in the room.

"Considering I've been apart of several of these types of storylines, I got to say this one has me a little stumped." She admitted with a small laugh. "It would be so much easier if you were feuding with Hunter instead of Flair."

"Well I'll be sure to move Hunter to the top of my list after Wrestlemania." He joked, even though he probably would do just that to facilitate things more smoothly.

"I'm wondering if we could do a full reveal at Wrestlemania. If you interfere in the main event at a moment that helps me out. It could work."

However before Taker could respond, the trainer came back in the room with a bottle of water and bottle of pills. "Here we go. Hopefully these help with your headache." He told her, handing her the water bottle before opening the pill bottle next.

"Thank you." She said, while sitting up stiffly. The trainer took note of her posture as she moved and frowned.

"Are your shoulders hurting?" He asked moving around the table to check her.

"A little." She admitted as the trainer's rubber glove clad hands lightly touched the base of her neck and shoulders. Instantly she flinched when he hit a sensitive spot.

"Sorry, looks like you got a lot of tension in your neck, shoulders and upper back. Burning the candle at both ends there?" He asked, giving her a light pat on her upper arm.

"It's been a stressful day already." She grumbled.

"Take the pain relievers, while I get you an ice pack. Then you can head back to your dressing room when you're ready." He told her in a kind voice. He was quite use to the talent being moody when they were hurting, so he didn't take it personally.

"Fine." She sighed again, while doing as she was told. As she swallowed down the pills, Taker moved over to lean on the table next to her. Instantly she stiffened, before forcing herself to relax.

"I'm sorry about earlier. If I would have known that Sara would completely lose her shit, I wouldn't have brought her to the show." He whispered. He honestly didn't think she would figure out it was Stephanie. The unique scent of her perfume had never even crossed his mind, otherwise he would have thought better of bringing Sara around.

She merely nodded, even though she wasn't blaming him for the blow up. They should have known that sooner or later things would come to light. That was just the way things went when it came to her luck. As the trainer walked back in with the ice pack and small towel, Taker reached out for them.

"I've got it, man." He said, already knowing the drill.

"Alright if you don't need anything else. I'm going to grab myself some food. So feel free to rest in here as long as you need, Ms. McMahon." The trainer told them kindly as he headed back out the door. This time closing said door behind him, so that anyone else would know he was on a break.

"Still sore around here?" Taker asked, lightly touching the spot at the base of her neck. She flinched again, causing him to chuckle as he placed the ice pack against that spot for her.

"I feel like there is a layer of irony going on here." She remarked with a small laugh. It wasn't lost on her that him helping her with her stress headache, when he had been through worse injuries in his career had to be almost laughable.

"I don't know, I think I like taking care of you." He confessed, causing her to glance up at him with a confused expression on her face. Impulsively he leaned in to kiss her and instinctively she kissed him back.

Though once her brain caught up with her actions, she broke the kiss and pulled back. “Whoa, that’s how we got into this mess in the first place.” She said, completely caught off guard. She could practically hear her heart hammering in her ears. While her body very much wanted him, her brain was telling her that he was still a married man. “I don’t need your wife going batshit on me again.”

At the mention of his wife, he looked away from Stephanie. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” He conceded. While he was very much attracted to Stephanie, he knew it wasn’t fair to her to try and start something when things with Sara were still up in the air.  Sara may have said she wanted a divorce, but until she presented him with the papers, there was a chance she could change her mind.

Silently Stephanie watched Mark closely, something about his demeanor was troubled beyond the obvious events of the day. Slowly she reached out to cup his face, gently urging him to look at her. “What aren’t you telling me, Mark?” She asked softly.

He inhaled sharply looking into her brilliant blue eyes as she scrutinized him. “Before Sara left, she told me we were over. She was furious over me agreeing to Vince’s storyline between us.” He finally admitted. Hearing himself speak the words, making them far more crushing than when she originally said them.

Instinctively Stephanie rested her forehead against his in a comforting gesture. Yeah she could be one selfish bitch but she knew what it felt like to have a dagger drove straight into the heart. Hunter’s ultimate rejection of her had been a cruel and crushing blow, so she could only imagine what Mark was feeling over Sara’s declaration. “I’m so sorry, Mark.” She whispered, her voice almost breaking.

Slowly their gazes locked once more, several moments of silence stretched between them that the only audible sounds were their breathing and the beating of their hearts. Again the dam broke as their lips collided, this time neither one pulled away. Things almost seemed to be moving at rapid speed as they found themselves lying across the therapy table. It wasn’t until Stephanie’s sore neck started protesting against the uncomfortable surface that she had the presence of mind to break away from his lips.

“This really isn’t a good place for this.” She managed to whisper through her heavy breathing. While she wasn’t so concerned with being on the table, they were _still_ in the trainer’s room, who could come back at any time. The last thing either of them needed was someone walking in on them in a compromising position.

Lightly he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her chin before sitting up. “You’re right, the last thing we need is _more_ rumors spreading about us.” He agreed. As much as he would have loved to let the moment sweep them away, it wasn’t the time or the place for such things. He quickly moved off the table and bent down to pick up her ice pack and towel. “Here, it’s probably better if you hold these yourself.”

She took the offered items as she moved off the table herself, quickly straightening her clothes up, so she looked like less of a rumpled mess. She walked over to the mirror in the far corner of the room. Of course, her lip gloss was smeared. “Good thing I checked.” She said simply, grabbing a tissue and wiping her lips clean. She’d reapply her makeup later before the show started. She grabbed a couple of more tissues and headed over to Mark to wipe his lips off as well. “I think they’ll notice if you’re wearing my lip gloss.” She laughed.

He laughed in turn, taking the tissues from her to finish the job for himself. “Come on, let’s get you back to your dressing room.”

 

xXx

 

By the time the six man tag team match main event rolled around later that night, Stephanie was feeling more like herself. While her neck was still sore, her headache had mercifully subsided. Unsurprisingly when she and Jericho came out, it was to a chorus of boos with a few cheers peppered in. Being the heels, they got to come out first, followed by Angle and the Undertaker's entrance. Despite his own status as a heel, he still received quite a huge pop from the crowd.

As soon as Kane was being announced, They all exited the ring, Taker making it a point of holding the ropes open for Stephanie to climb out easier.

"Hope you don't hold it against me, if I have to take it to your brother. He is my Wrestlemania opponent." Kurt told Taker as Kane strode down the ramp.

"Kane can fight his own battles." Taker replied with a shrug.

On cue, Kane set his pyro off as Stephanie covered her ears. Loud explosions were last thing she needed after the headache she had earlier in the day. Once Rob Van Dam's music came on, she turned to Jericho, offering to hold his title belts since it was a non-title match. He simply nodded handing them over to her.

"Be careful when you're provoking Hunter." Taker whispered to Stephanie, making sure the camera couldn't get a view of his lips. Stephanie merely glanced at him with a devious smile and nodded. Behind them, they could already hear the commentators questioning what was going on between the pair as they spoke to the audience at home.

As Triple H made his way down the ramp, Taker, Jericho and Kurt all glanced at each other. Suddenly they sprinted off in different directions. Before Triple H could get to the ring, the Undertaker pounced on him and started to pummel him, while Jericho and Kurt attacked RVD and Kane respectively. Stephanie cheered the guys on as she stayed near the commentators table.

After a few moments, the referee got control of things, quickly signalling for the bell as the Undertaker and Triple H started the match off. The crowd wasn’t missing the fact that both men were being extra vicious this go around as they artlessly beat the hell out of each other. Roughly Taker hung Hunter out on the ropes, heavily the Game came crashing down to his knees near the second rope on Stephanie’s side. She didn’t waste any time in slapping him as hard as she could. The crowd instantly booing her and beginning a “slut” chant. She merely rolled her eyes before pointing at the camera that moved in near her face.

“I don’t care what any of these losers say!” She snapped, pushing the camera out of her face.

By this point, Kurt and Jericho were double teaming Triple H in the corner, while Taker distracted the referee, by provoking Kane and RVD to try and get into the ring. The crowd continued to boo as it seemed Jericho’s team had effectively isolated Triple H from tagging either of his partners in. As Kurt got into the ring to take his turn beating on the Game, the crowd began chanting, ‘You Suck’ at him.

Clearly growing frustrated with the dirty tactics of Jericho’s team, Kane and RVD jumped off the apron and ran around the other side to attack Taker and Jericho respectively. The distraction of the two teams brawling outside of the ring, enough to divert the referee’s attention as he tried to get some order back into the match. Triple H took the opportunity to low blow Kurt as he went for a belly to back suplex. As Kurt fall over in pain, Triple H slid out of the ring to go after Stephanie. The crowd cheered as he grabbed her by the hair and tossed her into the ring.

Though by the time, he got back into the ring, he was quickly met with a boot to the face from the Undertaker as Stephanie scrambled to the opposite side of the ring to get out of harm’s way. Suddenly Chris Jericho pulled her out of the ring entirely, his title belts in hand. He quickly tossed one to Undertaker, who immediately used it to flatten Triple H. The referee managed to make it back into the ring to see Undertaker pin Triple H, but didn’t noticed the discarded title belt. So he counted the three count as clearly he wanted the chaotic match to be done. An explosion of boos broke out among the crowd as Undertaker, Jericho and Angle were declared the winners of the match

Stephanie and Chris helped Kurt Angle up the ramp as Undertaker got on his motorcycle. The moment the other three were clear, he rode up the ramp. The crowd continuing to boo the ill gotten victory.

As Triple H slowly climbed to his feet, Kane and Rob Van Dam just shook their heads. Obviously none of them were happy with that loss, but Triple H couldn’t help but notice how similar it felt to a different time, when he was on the opposite side of the ill gotten wins with Stephanie by his side. Times had definitely changed and for once he wasn’t so sure if he had chosen the right side after all.

 

xXx

 

As Stephanie, Jericho, Kurt and Undertaker made their way to Gorilla position backstage to see if that had been good enough for Vince, they came upon a very happy Vince, clapping for them.

“Good job, out there! The crowd really despises the four of you!” Vince laughed. He did always enjoy it when his heels got the right kind of heat from the crowds. He quickly gestured to Stephanie and Taker, still looking quite pleased. “Also good job on the hints, you two. You four should clear out before the others come through here. I have a feeling Hunter is going to have words for me.”

“Oh no doubt, you know how much he hates losing.” Stephanie chuckled as she walked off first. The other three guys not far behind her.

“Honestly Vince, your daughter is like an instant heat generator. The crowds love to hate her.”

“Yeah, she’s a regular chip off the old block.” Vince laughed, considering his own history with getting the crowds to boo him almost on cue. Even though the day started off rocky, to say the least, he couldn’t help be pleased with the end outcome. Hopefully everything else would go to plan as well.


	4. Power Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems everyone is trying to make some power plays in one way or another.

Backstage most were convinced that Stephanie and the Undertaker’s storyline was a shoot to cover up the fact that it was real. That included a certain co-owner of the World Wrestling Federation that had recently been bumped down to merely an active competitor on the roster at least until Wrestlemania. The moment he spotted Stephanie walking into the arena from the parking garage entrance, pulling her suitcase along, while speaking on her cell phone. He made the choice to speak to her and see just how true the rumors about her and the Undertaker were for himself.

“Hey there, Stephanie.” Ric called out in a nonchalant manner.

The moment she looked over toward whom was approaching her, she rolled her eyes. “I’ll call you back.” She said into the phone, quickly hanging up. “Did you need something Ric?” She asked dryly, having a fairly good idea of what this would be about.

“Well that depends, Steph.” He said matter of factly. “I hear you and I share a mutual _friend_.”

“Cut to the chase, Ric. I’m not in the mood for games.” She replied, outright refusing to let him try and play mind games on her. She was well aware of the score he had to settle with the Undertaker. After the brutal beating that he put on Arn Anderson and David Flair just to get Ric to agree to their Wrestlemania match, she couldn’t even be surprised that Ric was looking for some sort of edge against the deadman.

“Hey now, girlie. There’s no need to get snippy here. I’m just wondering if you got any pull with our mutual _friend._ Because if you got any stroke with him, then it might be a good idea to talk some sense into him.” Ric explained, keeping his tone reasonable.

Stephanie couldn’t help but smirk as she wasn’t stupid, she could hear a veiled threat when there was one. He might have been trying to spin it in a reasonable tone, however she could hear the ‘or’ hanging in the air.

“Ric, what sense are you talking about? The way I see it, things wouldn’t have escalated as far as they did, if you had just accepted his challenge in the first place.” She replied matter of factly. “I guess it was a good thing that you _finally_ said ‘yes’ when you did. Otherwise your daughter Ashley might have been next.” She said with a small grimace and feint concern. “And well I know first hand what happens when the Undertaker targets a daughter. It can get _pretty_...dark.”

Ric instantly stiffened at the mention of his daughter as well as Stephanie’s reminder of being one of his past victims. It was strange how circumstances could change in nearly four years time. Though it did, sink one thing for him. Stephanie had to be one sick woman to fall for someone who had tormented her in the past.

“Stephanie I’m not an unreasonable man. I’m just looking to protect my friends and family. But I can see that birds of a feather flock together. You are definitely your father’s daughter.” Ric said flatly. His tone definitely indicating that he wasn’t giving her a compliment.

Stephanie instinctively rolled her eyes as she wasn’t insulted to be called her father’s daughter. She was a McMahon through and through and no one would ever make her be ashamed of that fact. Suddenly she stepped forward into Ric’s personal space.

“Look I know exactly what you were hoping to accomplish. But it’s not going to happen. The Undertaker will do what he wants, I _don’t_ control him. And if you try to threaten me in some misguided attempt to throw him off his game, it will just end in your own disappointment. So for once in your life, Flair? _Be a man_ and walk away.” She said firmly, her eyes deadly serious.

For once, Ric had to give credit where credit was due, for the intensity she brought forth. There wasn’t anything whiny or self-entitled in her demeanor. She was pure menace and venom as she stood her ground against him. For a brief moment, he considered pushing her further just out of curiosity, but there was still one McMahon he had respect for and he knew he’d lose her support completely for attacking her daughter unprovoked.

“Alright Ms. McMahon, you win this round.” Ric said as he took a step back to regard her. He’d never admit it outloud, but he was kinda impressed that she stood her ground with zero support. She really was like her father. After a moment, he turned around to leave. Definitely believing that she was indeed involved with the Undertaker for real. Only raw intensity like she displayed could attract someone like the Undertaker.

Stephanie merely watched in silence as Ric Flair walked away. Lightly she shook her head as she resumed her walk toward the locker rooms, though as she passed one hallway, she was suddenly pulled into said hallway. However before she could get a sound out a familiar hand landed over her mouth. She looked up to see Mark looking down at her with an amused expression on his face. As she went to push his hand away annoyed that he startled her, she was quickly met with a heated kiss. After a moment she pulled back, pressing her hand to his chest. “None of that, Mister.” She teased as they had decided on restraint while at the venues, if only for the sake of not adding more fuel to the fire of the rumor mill.

“I can’t help myself, it does things to me when I hear you being sadistic, especially toward Flair of all people.” He replied in a low voice with a definite fire for her in his eyes.

She smiled coyly, relishing that look upon his face as tempted as she was to give in to the lust, she knew better than to let it happen in the arena. Lightly she patted him on the chest. “Save it for later, big guy.” She said softly, before moving forward to press a small teasing kiss to his lips. Slowly she leaned back, licking her lips for good measure, so that he knew she was being one hundred percent serious.

He inhaled sharply, reaching out to touch her face. “Today is going to be long day.” He softly growled, biting his bottom lip.

“It’ll be worth the wait, I promise.” She whispered, resisting the urge to kiss him again. Her body was already beginning to feel a familiar tingle in the bottom of her belly. If she didn’t move away soon, she’d end up losing her resolve. Thus she quickly slipped out of his grasp, blowing him a kiss as she continued her track to the locker room area.

Once again, he took a deep breath, the scent of her perfume still lingering in the air. It was downright criminal how much he desired that woman. Just when he thought he knew her, she managed to surprise him in some new way.

 

xXx

 

Stephanie had been with the makeup artist and stylist getting ready for the night’s show, when she got word that her father wanted to see her in his office.  She honestly wasn’t sure what he wanted given that she had been doing what they told her to do. Both her and Mark continued to drop hints that they were involved in some way, while continuing their individual feuds for Wrestlemania. What more could they do?

The moment she was finished with her makeup and hair, she headed over to her father’s office, only to find that Mark, Chris and Kurt were also present. Instantly she shot them a questioning glance, but all three men merely shrugged as they hadn’t been clued in yet to what the boss wanted.

“Sorry, I took so long. I was finishing up with hair and makeup.” She apologized in case they had been waiting long.

“It’s fine, sweetheart.” Vince said simply, gesturing for her to have a seat.

She quickly nodded, moving to take the last vacant seat in the room. “What’s going on?” She asked, far too curious to wait for him to start talking.

“Well how would you four feel about becoming a faction after Wrestlemania?” He asked, observing all four of them.

“What?” Jericho was the first to question, clearly confused.

“You aren’t hearing wrong. I think the four of you would make a good heel faction. Better than the nWo, who can’t seem to get boo’d for their actions, no matter what they do.” Vince replied, looking them over carefully.

Stephanie stifled a laugh, knowing how much her father hated when any of the heels started getting cheered as though they were babyfaces. However, never in a million years did she think her father would want to put her into another faction. Especially after what became of the whole McMahon-Helmsley faction from when she and Triple H had first gotten married. Then he had been so insistent that she and Taker do a storyline romance in order to dilute the rumors about their real life affair.

“So you want us to be a faction, while Taker and I do the storyline romance thing?” Stephanie clarified, wanting to know if maybe he had changed his mind on the romance part.

“Yes, eventually you two will become a power couple, but in the meantime the four of you as a faction can wreak some havoc.” Vince explained with a smile. “I’m thinking we could test it out a little at some house shows over the next week.”

“I don’t usually do house shows though.” Stephanie said, looking a little confused. During the days they weren’t filming, she worked at Titan Towers.

“I know, that’s why I am scheduling you for some next week. Mind you, it’s not a permanent thing. It’s just to test out the reactions to you accompanying the guys to their individual matches.” He said, looking quite pleased with himself. “And well there will be a couple of six man tag matches as well, since I can opt to send Ric out to the house shows too.”

“You’re going to send Flair out to the house shows?” Taker chuckled, now there was an idea he could get behind.

“Oh yes, while I have full control of the company, he’s considered just an active competitor. There’s no way I won’t take advantage of that.” Vince replied with a devious smile. “And by the way, you two have my permission to be more overt with the house show audiences about your romantic ties.” He added, pointing at Stephanie and Taker.

“...um how overt are you wanting us to get?” Stephanie asked cautiously. They had been fairly subtle with their televised hints, just enough interaction to question if something was going on, but they hadn’t done anything that had been deemed overly romantic yet.

“I’m thinking more personal displays of affection between you. Things that could not be considered expressly platonic.” He said firmly, leaving both Stephanie and Taker both taken aback as they were sure he wanted them to wait until after Wrestlemania before upgrading to PDA. So much for that idea.

“So what if I happen to retain the title against Triple H?” Jericho asked, curious about how the faction would work in his favor, should he agree to be involved.

“Look if you win, then you are apart of a faction that is aiming to rule over the federation. If you lose, then you are apart of a faction that wants to rule the federation, while crushing Triple H in a rematch. In any case, if you four are successful, I’m willing to put you all into title hunts. You’d be comparable to stables of the past that ended up holding numerous championships at one time.”

Everyone was stunned into silence at Vince’s words as he must have had a vision for them as a stable to think that far ahead.

“Wow Vince, this is a lot to absorb.” Kurt replied, speaking up for the first time. He knew he worked well with everyone in the room, but he couldn’t help but have a few reservations. All of them were massive personalities, ego clashes were bound to happen. Especially when it came to who goes for which titles.

“Like I said, we’ll see how the reactions go from the house shows and then we can really decide after that.” Vince told them, clearly having made up his mind on what he wanted.

 

xXx

 

After all the events of the day were done, Stephanie’s mind was reeling from everything going on. The idea of her father wanting her to be a faction with Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho sounded crazy to her. A potential disaster in the making, really. While her and Chris could work platonicly with no problems, she knew Kurt was attracted to her. Thus she wasn’t sure how well he would take things once he realized that Mark and her were becoming a very real thing and not just a scripted storyline.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a knock on her hotel suite door. The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by a pair of large arms pulling her into a massive chest. Immediately her nostrils were flooded with the musky scent of a familiar cologne that made her want to swoon. Suddenly she lightly laughed, realizing she had forgotten her promise from earlier in the day, but apparently someone else hadn’t.

“Hey you.” She said softly as he closed the door behind him, while keeping her pressed firmly against his muscular chest. Already her body was tingling down to her center with desire for him. His strength alone turning her on. Silently she had to ask herself, when it became so hard to resist this man?

“You can’t go making me promises and then go off and forget them.” He warned her, his voice barely above a heated whisper as he finally leaned in to claim her lips in demanding kiss. She simply let out a groan as she practically melted against him. Though after a moment, she managed to pull back, her mind refusing to give over full control just yet. He had to earn that honor tonight.

“True, that was very rude of me. Even if I do like seeing you all hot and bothered and entirely _frustrated_.” She retorted once she caught her breath. She looked up at him with a devious smile, causing him to chuckle in return.

“You’re _such_ a fucking tease.” He replied, burying his face against her neck, playfully biting at the soft flush where the neck meets the shoulder. She gasped as her fists grabbed a hold of his t-shirt. He could feel her body press further into him as she tried to keep upright. Admittedly he did enjoy knowing that he could have that sort of effect on her. It was good to know, that she wasn’t the only one who could use her body as a weapon during their encounters. Suddenly he scooped her up into his arms, causing her to let out a surprise squeal as he carried her back toward the bedroom of the suite.

The strength and ease in which he lifted and carried her, being an even bigger turn on. How could she not revel in his ability to make her feel as though she were weightless? “You love it, when I tease you.” She challenged as he let her down on the mattress. Quickly she pulled him down onto the bed with her, rolling them over so that she could straddle his hips. He laughed in response, his hands moving up to grip her hips tightly, his fingers digging into the soft fabric of her robe.

“I do, though the way you verbally ran down Flair, did something to me too.” He teased, his fingers moving to untie the belt on her robe and push it off of her shoulders. She acquiesced, shrugging the fluffy fabric off her body to reveal the black silky camisole set she wore underneath. He couldn't help biting down on his bottom lip to stifle the groan that threaten to come out at the sight of that delicate fabric clinging to her well toned body.

"Oh, you like this?" She giggled, noting his reaction to the lingerie she happened to be wearing. Quite thankful that she had chosen to change into something he seemed to consider sexy, even if she had forgot her promise for this encounter. Perhaps her subconscious had remembered when she changed after her shower a short time ago.

"Mhm, though I still prefer you naked." He admitted, letting his fingers brush her soft skin underneath the silk top, just above the waistband of her shorts. Suddenly she brought her hands up to grab his face, before leaning down to kiss him ferociously. His own hands moving up to rub over her back, until he grabbed a hold of her hair, while kissing her back with just as much ferocity.

Roughly she suckled at his bottom lip as one of her hands slid down to his throat. Finally she pulled back, despite the immense strength of the man lying beneath her thighs. She felt a wave of possessiveness wash over her as she glanced at the tattoo on his throat baring his wife's name. The wife, he was countersuing for a divorce. "I hate to ruin the mood, babe. But eventually I'm going to need you to take care of this." She whispered, brushing her fingers over the offending letters on his throat. She didn't expect him to get her name on his body, in fact she would discourage it if asked.

"I will, you have my word." He vowed, inhaling deeply at the feeling of her teeth playfully nipping at his earlobe and the skin of his neck. He gripped at the back of her camisole, fingers lightly raking over the skin not covered by silk.

Abruptly she sat up, grabbing the hem of her top and pulling it over her head in one fluid motion. Easily she tossed the delicate fabric aside as she aggressively tugged at his shirt next. Silently he obliged her sitting up just enough to allow her to pull his shirt over his head in turn. Once they were both bare from the waist up, she leaned back in to kiss him again. A definite note of possessiveness in her actions, he could tell she was trying to put her stamp all over him with what she was doing. Playfully she nuzzled her face against his neck, while she suckled and bit at the flush there, at the same time slowly raking her nails down his chest.

Internally he struggled with his own need to take control. More than a couple of times, he stiffened fighting off the urge to flip her over and dominate her completely. Suddenly she sat up looking down at him in amusement. “You don’t like giving up control, do you?” She asked with a giggle.

“Is it that obvious, darling?” He chuckled, while gripping her thighs.

She just shook her head as she began unbuckling his belt, until she could pull it free of his jeans. As she unbuttoned his jeans and slowly pulled the zipper down, she leaned forward again, pressing her lips to his ear. “I told you, I’d make the wait worth your while earlier. I meant it.” She whispered huskily, nipping at his earlobe again. "So hang in there babe, let me drive for a little while." She added with a teasing lilt to her tone.

He chuckled in return, however he took her words to heart. She had given up control to him fairly quickly on their very first encounter, so it was his turn to trust in her. Fair was fair after all. The moment he got his body to relax again, she claimed his lips in an appreciative kiss. Then came the trail of appraising kisses down his chest, while her hands rubbed over the contours of his pectoral muscles. He couldn't contain his groans at the way her fingers traced over the definition of his muscles, only to have her tongue and lips follow the same path as her fingers.

The sensations enough to drive him utterly mad with impatience. He could feel his cock stirring against the denim of his jeans, but he could already tell she planned on taking her sweet time. Every move she made was full of purpose as she continued claiming ownership over him. Slowly she licked, nipped, and kissed a trail down his chest, her tongue playfully swirling around one of his nipples and then the other. She could feel his breath shudder as his grip on her thighs tightened. Playfully she traced her fingers over his abs, appreciating the fact that he was in the best shape she had seen him in yet. She could remember a point when he had developed a belly due to all his mounting injuries and being unable to hit the gym properly.

“I thought you weren’t a fan of working out.” She teased, rubbing her hands over his midsection down to hips, her fingers hitting the waistband of his jeans.

“It’s the weight lifting that I don’t much enjoy and with good reason.” He chuckled, moving one of his hands up to grab one of her wrists, in order to drop a kiss into her palm.

“D’awww, but you recovered, that’s all that matters.” She whispered, sympathetically. She leaned back down to press a kiss to the once injured pectoral muscle that he alluded to.

Once again he had to fight off the urge to roll her over and ravish her right then and there as that display of tenderness had been unexpected but certainly not unwelcomed. Triple H had been a fool to walk away from her, though it seemed the Game’s lost had been his gain. Finally her fingers moved to grip the waistband of his jeans and his body began to ache with anticipation.

“Babe, you are way too overdressed.” She commented, while gesturing for him to lift his hips so she could pull his jeans and underwear down to his knees. He managed to kick his boots off on his own as he hadn’t fully tightened the laces. She merely laughed as she began to slowly stroke his cock. Instantly he groaned, his eyes beginning to fall shut from the sudden stimulation. Finally she moved to reposition herself as she pulled his pants down the rest of the way to his ankles. Since his legs were partly hanging off the bed, she chose to stand, bracing one of her hands against his thigh as the other grasped the base of his shaft.

Instinctively she released a hot breath over the top of his cock, her thumb wiping over the beads of precum beginning to form at the very tip. The action earned her another groan from him, his breathing slowly becoming more labored as he opened his eyes to watch her intently.

A mischievous grin stretched across her face as she swirled her tongue over the head of his cock, before slowly taking as much of his shaft as she could into her mouth. The part that she couldn’t fit into her mouth was stroked by her hands. The entire time, she kept her eyes locked on him as she bobbed her head up and down in time with her hands moving over his cock. He couldn’t contain his groans, moans or grunts as he watched her at work. She was meticulous in the way she stroked and sucked at him, even making sure to massage and fondle his sack. He was definitely the largest man she had ever been with both in terms of his height and the size of cock. However she wasn't detoured, she took it as a welcomed challenge to make him come undone.

The way her pink lips looked stretched around his shaft as she continued taking more of him into her mouth had him biting down on his lip. He had to fight the urge to buck his hips as he didn’t want to choke her. Though he gripped the comforter tightly the moment he felt the tip of his cock hit the back of her throat. He couldn't stop the strangled gasp from escaping his mouth as she pushed a little bit further. Apparently she didn't have a gag reflex which came as a complete surprise to him. She only pulled back to run her tongue along the underside of his cock, before briefly suckling at his sack.

"Fuck!" He managed to grit out as she took his shaft back in her mouth, until she was nearly swallowing him again. "Shit!" He choked out, biting down hard on his bottom lip. If she kept it up, he'd be coming sooner rather than later.

Suddenly she locked in the suction and his hands flew up to grab her hair, roughly pulling and tugging at it. The friction was building quickly and he could feel the familiar twitch in his groin. Though before he could reach release, she abruptly pulled back. "Not yet, babe." She panted, while her fingers pinched the head of his cock. He let out a groan at being denied release. His cock throbbing and aching in her hand as she stroked him in order to keep him hard.

"Dammit…" He grunted, unable mask his annoyance.

Teasingly she swirled her tongue over the top of his erection again. "Sorry, babe but I can't have you coming too quickly." She said, stripping the remaining singular piece of clothing from her body. Once that final barrier was gone she crawled back on top of him.

"I'm going to get you back for this." He playfully threatened, she only giggled in response. Though before he could say anything else, she straddled his hips, pressing her wet folds against his shaft. Instinctively he bit his lip again as she rubbed her slick cunt against him, creating friction without being inside her. She bent over to claim his lips in a demanding kiss forcing him to taste himself on her lips and tongue as she moved against him. That delicious friction building all over again. He brought his arms up to rub over her back, before one hand gripped tightly to the back of her hair, while the other hand held firmly to her shoulder.

Their tongues continued wrestling for dominance as he refused to let her break the kiss. It wasn't until they were practically out of air that he released his grip on her hair. Both panted heavily trying to catch their breaths. Finally he could no longer endure all the teasing as he rolled them over, pinning her down on the bed. She let out a surprised yelp, before she started laughing madly. “Just couldn’t resist whisking away control, could you?” She asked, as he situated himself comfortably between her thighs, while burying his face against her neck.

“You shouldn’t have left an opening.” He teased, before claiming her lips in another heated kiss, stopping her from protesting.

As much as she wanted to take back the control as she wasn’t finish with him yet, he had effectively neutralized her. The way his hard yet warm chest pressed against her breasts as he slowly ground his hips against hers, creating more delicious friction between them. Which had her entire body yielding beneath him, giving over all the power to him. One shift of his hips and she could feel his erection pressing against her center. She let out a gasp, breaking the kiss between them as he roughly thrust his cock inside her. “Oh god…” She moaned, feeling his girth stretch her as her inner walls clung to him, throbbing, pulsing and squeezing his shaft in all the right places.

“Who?” He whispered in a husky timbre that sent chills down her spine.

“Mark…” She groaned, correcting herself as she looked up at him through half-lidded eyes.

“Better.” He replied, brushing his lips against her chin as he started to move against her. Once again, building that wonderful friction between them. The sensations causing her head to lull to the side as she lost herself to the moment and the powerful man above her. Again he buried his face against the side of her neck, biting down on the soft flesh connecting the neck and shoulder. She let out a hiss as the pleasurable pain shot right through her to her core.

“You feel so good, babe.” She panted, before grabbing his face and crushing her lips to his in a small show of force. Just letting him know that he hadn’t taken full control from her yet. He growled against her lips, but his mouth immediately opened to her pressing, allowing their tongues to twine together again. All the while he continued to roll his hips into hers, his movements growing harder and just a bit more forceful. Though she took it in stride, relishing in the strength he used to fuck her into the mattress.

Soon her legs were wrapped around his thighs, her heels pushing against his buttocks as they found a good rhythm between them. The sounds of their skin smacking together along with their heavy breathing filled the room. She could feel her toes begin to curl as she grew close to release. Roughly she broke away from his lips as her moans and cries filled the room. Her nails dragging over his back and shoulders as her body started to tighten. Suddenly he paused his movement, causing her to groan in frustration.

He chuckled at her reaction. “Hold on, sweetheart. I’m not leaving you hanging.” He whispered, lifting her rear up and pushing one of the pillows underneath her. The move changing the angle in which his cock was situated inside her. She gasped at noting the extra pressure she felt against her clit. He chuckled again as she let out a strangled cry, once he began thrusting anew.

“Fuck!” She cried out, grasping at his shoulders even tighter. The angle adjustment reminding her of their first encounter as the sensations was just as intense as his cock beat down on her g-spot while constantly rubbing against her clit. She found herself gushing like a torrent as she finally hit her peak, while screaming out his name in an exaltation.

“Now that’s what I am talking about baby.” He teased, dropping kisses to her chin and neck as she slowly recovered her senses from such a huge orgasm.

She panted heavily, still gripping his shoulders tightly as the fog in her pleasure-addled mind cleared. “Dammit, Mark...how do you keep doing that?!” She snapped, just amazed at how he could get her body to react in ways no other man had ever been able to do.

“It’s a secret~” He said with a teasing lilt to his tone, clearly quite pleased at being able to make her come hard anytime he wanted her too. Without warning he began moving again, chasing his own release.  Any retort she had to offer was immediately lost as she started moaning and groaning all over again, her thoughts lost to the sheer lust of the moment. His own efforts to find release, sending her over the edge once more, just as he finally came with a roar, his seed spilling deep inside her.

She held him tightly as he collapsed against her. Lightly she rubbed over his back, while he kept his face buried against her neck. Slowly their breathing started normalizing as they came down off the orgasmic high they were on. Playfully he nuzzled his face against her neck, causing her to giggle as his goatee tickled her skin. He only lifted his head to press kisses against her jawline and chin.

“You were right, that was worth the wait.” He admitted, his voice still a bit breathless. He did enjoy being able to take their time and not have to rush through pleasing each other.

She laughed, moving her hand away from his shoulder to rub over his short auburn hair. “Well I am a woman of my word.” She lightly teased, brushing her lips against his as their eyes locked.

It was in those sort of moments that she could feel her heart flutter and swell for the man lying in her arms. He too found it impossible not to continually grow attach to her with each encounter between them. The outside world might have been complicated, but what was going on between them felt _right._


	5. House Show Mishaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie joins the guys for some house shows leading into Wrestlemania, things don't go exactly to plan.

The moment Triple H was told that he'd be working house show matches against the Undertaker leading up to Wrestlemania, he found himself feeling annoyed. More so when he noticed that Undertaker would have Stephanie in his corner. She never worked house shows, so why now was Vince sending her out?

"Judging from that look on your face, I'd say I'm not the only one unhappy with the house show match ups." A voice came out of nowhere.

Triple H quickly looked up to see Ric Flair approaching him. "Vince making you do house shows?" He asked, not too surprised that Vince would try to wear down his fellow co-owner. While he had the power to do so.

"Yeah, and he's matching me up against Kurt Angle, who apparently will have Stephanie at ringside with him." Ric sighed, knowing full well that Kurt was 100% loyal to McMahon. He had no doubt that they had marching orders to soften him up before his Wrestlemania match.

"Wait, did you say Stephanie would be with him?" Triple H asked, feeling confused again. "She's scheduled to be ringside with Taker during our matches too."

"Heh...that son of a bitch. Is he building a stable around his daughter?" Ric asked, his scowl deepening. It really couldn’t be a coincidence that his fellow co-owner would send his daughter out to house shows to accompany not only her business partner, Chris Jericho, but Kurt Angle and the Undertaker too. What the hell was Vince up too? Was Flair’s only thought.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time." Triple H frowned, hating the fact that he felt so jealous at the thought of her and Taker working together, let alone them actually _being_ together. It had really tore at him, just seeing the two talking to each other in the halls backstage. It didn’t matter how professional they seemed, Triple H could see the regard in his soon to be ex-wife’s eyes when she looked at Taker.

Ric gave him a pat on the shoulder as though he could read Hunter's mind. "Breakups are tough, but it has got to be rough to work with your ex on a weekly basis and see her working closely with others."

"It is, more than anything I want to make her disappear." Triple H admitted. “I’m tired of seeing her and the dead man near each other.”

"Wish I could help you with that, I’d love to see them both get what is coming to them." Ric said with a sigh.

“I wish I knew how long she’s been carrying a torch for the deadman. I faced him at Wrestlemania last year and she was supporting me. She helped me torment him through that whole feud and then some.” Triple H said, feeling so annoyed that he found himself second guessing their entire marriage.

“What? You think she was carrying a torch for him that whole time?” Ric asked, while he didn’t think that was the case, he’d seen the sadistic look in Stephanie’s eyes. So anything was possible. “Kid, you should stop torturing yourself over her. The more you let her see that this is getting under your skin, the more she will use it to make you suffer.”

“Yeah, I know.” Triple H mumbled, knowing Ric was right, but he wasn’t sure he could let it go just yet.

 

xXx

 

Mark sat across from his brother, Glenn, while they waited for their food to arrive. It had been a while since they had gotten a chance to hang out. Luckily they were on the same house show schedule, which gave them an opportunity to really catch up. Whether they admitted it or not, they kind of missed working together, but they were on different paths with Kane working as a face and the Undertaker working as a heel. He was fairly certain his storyline with Stephanie would keep him a heel, since she hadn’t been a face since her and Hunter revealed they were together.

"So work or shoot?" Glenn asked, while he was fairly sure it was a shoot, he wanted to hear it directly from his brother’s mouth.

Mark glared at his younger brother, not really wanting to confirm it either way. "Both." He replied shifting uncomfortably in his seat. While he suspected that his relationship with Stephanie would be a topic, he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to discuss it with his brother in detail.

Glenn merely raised an eyebrow at that. Clearly wanting an explanation on such a non-answer as he had just been given. Mark sighed, knowing that look well enough and also knowing that his brother wouldn’t let it go until he got some sort of explanation.

"It wasn't some long term affair. It was literally one night of bad judgement on our part." Mark finally admitted. "We were going to go our separate ways and never speak of it again. But Sara figured out that it was Stephanie and lost her shit right then and there in front of a small crowd. Vince decided he wanted to turn it into a work. So it's both."

Glenn merely nodded, he hadn’t really thought that they had been having a long term affair, but he definitely saw the way Mark had been looking at Stephanie as of late. The man was smitten, which had honestly surprised him, since he thought Mark and Sara were really solid. "Okay but when did you two decide to start seeing each other for real?" Glenn asked pointedly.

"The moment we realized that we wouldn't be able to keep it platonic as long as we were closely working together." He replied, getting as specific as he was going to get at this point.

"You aren't worried that you might be moving too fast?" He asked, since it sounded pretty whirlwind to him.

Mark sighed again, ready to punch his brother for pushing further, but finally he slumped in his seat. “It’s not like she and I are getting married tomorrow, but I’ve been attracted to her for a while. I just didn’t expect us to click as well as did.” He confessed, hoping that would be enough to appease his brother’s curiosity.

Glenn nodded with a shrug, Stephanie was a beautiful woman, he could see it. He thought her attractive himself, but he had filed her away in the off limits folder, because not only was she a McMahon but she had also been spoken for, first with Test and then with Hunter. “Alright, I get it, but I got to know now. Were you actually attracted to her, during that whole Ministry of Darkness thing?” Glenn asked with a laugh. He was met with a kick from underneath the table from his brother. He couldn’t help but laugh a little more.

“Next time, we’re in a match. I’m kicking your ass.” Mark replied, holding back his own laughter.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Glenn apologized, still looking amused. After a moment, his expression sobered. “Look, you know I'll support whatever decision you make. I like Sara and I thought she was good for you. But I can see Stephanie sparks something in your eyes I never saw you have with Sara. Just be careful, man. She's still a McMahon. We both know first hand what a dangerous group they are."

Mark nodded, he could appreciate his brother's candor. He was one of the few people that he could confide in and trust to keep his mouth shut. And well despite what the fans thought of Kane, _Glenn_ was way smarter than he was given credit for. "I know I'm taking a huge chance on her, but I'm drawn to her." He said frankly. That sort of attraction couldn't be ignored.

 

xXx

 

Chris and Stephanie were getting out of his rental car in the parking garage, having decided to share a car since they had several house shows in the same state.

"I'm surprised you and Taker weren't driving together." Chris said as he popped the trunk so they could get out their bags.

"He offered, but he's also riding with Glenn. Two's company, three's a crowd." Stephanie joked, pulling her suitcase out of the trunk.

"Is that why we didn't invite Kurt?" Chris joked back.

"Nah, I thought he was riding with Regal." She laughed. While she was glad they didn't have to strictly adhered to faces with faces and heels with heels when traveling, keeping up appearances could be such a pain. Unless of course, the individuals in question happened to be feuding with each other. Then of course, you didn't travel together that would just ruin the illusion.

"Do you remember who they are matching up with for this set of shows?" Chris asked curiously.

"Kurt is working with Flair and Regal is working with Kane."

"You know, your dad should have considered adding Regal to our group."

Stephanie regarded that statement for a moment. She honestly didn't care who was in their faction. As she was just going along with it because that was what her father requested of her. "Maybe pitch it to him next time you see him?"

"I might, but only if you, Kurt and Taker are cool with it."

"It's fine by me." She replied as he shut the trunk and they headed inside the arena. "It's been a while since I have gone to any of the house shows. Are they still laid back?"

"Yeah, for the most part. Hopefully everyone behaves." Chris replied with a slight nod of his head.

"Why wouldn't they?"

"We're out on the road for over two hundred days out of the year. Sometimes the guys like to cut loose at the house shows." He explained, hoping she'd read in between the lines.

She nodded as she wasn't oblivious to the stuff the talent got up too in general. Drugs, alcohol, the ring rats throwing themselves at the guys, of course some of them would fall into the temptation of it all.

"I'm not here to police anyone, I don't care what they do as long as they stay out of my lane." She said frankly. And well she wouldn't tolerate the groupies either. She was firm on that when she was with Hunter, that wasn't going to change with Mark.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked into the backstage arena entrance, many of the guys were roaming around freely. Though a couple of them couldn’t help but stare at Stephanie and shift uncomfortably at seeing her. Stephanie just rolled her eyes, though found herself laughing when Jericho lightly nudged her with his elbow.

“Clearly they're intimidated by your McMahonness.” Jericho teased, earning him a light shove. It was amusing how well they got on, considering how much they had argued and insulted each other during their feuds. Triple H not being in her ear, had helped her see Chris in whole another light.

“Hey Steph, hey Chris!” Called a familiar voice as they both looked up to see Kurt and Regal approaching them.

“Hey guys, how's it going?” Stephanie asked as they got closer.

“It was going good until Hunter and Ric got here. They’ve been loudly complaining about their matches.” Kurt sighed, while both he and Regal rolled their eyes.

Jericho and Stephanie just shook their heads. “Let me guess, they aren’t happy about my presence ringside?”

“Among other things. Sour grapes the both of them.” Regal replied, definitely looking unimpressed with both Triple H and Flair. He was just thankful that working with Kane would be straight forward as neither had an ax to grind with the other.

The four started walking again, heading toward the locker rooms. Since it was a house show, Stephanie was doing her own hair and makeup. So she excused herself to go to one of the backstage restrooms, with the promise she’d meet up with the guys in the locker room later, so they could discuss the match ups for the night. Though before she could reach her destination, she had the misfortune of bumping into her soon to be ex-husband.

“Oh hey there, Steph.” He spoke, not even trying to hide the malice in his voice.

“Hunter.” She sighed, not trying to hide her annoyance with him. “Did you want something?”

“So is tonight the test run for your little faction?” He asked pointedly, hoping that he wasn’t right. The idea of her, being in a stable with Undertaker was driving him mad with annoyance and jealousy.

Stephanie chose not to answer, she simply looked him and up and down, noting the tension in his posture. She could tell he was barely containing his anger and jealousy. Something she found ironic given he was the one who ended things between them. He was so angry with her over lying about being pregnant, yet now he was acting as though she were cheating on him. It was a level of confusing and annoying to her. Why did he dump her, if he couldn’t stand to watch her be with anyone else? Obviously he still had feelings for her, if he was this mad over her and Mark.

“I don’t get you, Hunter. You absolutely humiliated me in front of a crowd and a nationwide televised audience, when you ended our relationship. But now you are acting as if I owe you something? What is your deal here?” Stephanie asked, genuinely wanting to know what was up with him.

Hunter stood silent at her line of questioning. He wasn’t quite sure how to even begin answering those questions. “You and I wreak a lot of havoc when we were together. I’m just having a hard time believing that you and the Undertaker could work together so easily after all the things we did to him in the last year and half. So either you two are very forgiving of each other or you’ve both been playing everyone for saps this entire time.” He said, inhaling sharply.

Instinctively she lifted an eyebrow, she couldn’t really believe what she was hearing. The implications of his words were not lost on her in the least, that she found herself feeling mildly offended. He must of thought very little of her, if he thought she and Mark were running around behind his back for a good portion of their marriage. Slowly her expression turned to a sadistic smirk as she decided to let him believe what he wanted. She had no incentive to care what he thought of her. “Gee, I wonder which one it could be.” She replied with a smug smile.

Her response instantly causing Triple H to scowl as he roughly grabbed her arm, tugging her forward. She resisted instinctually, pulling her arm back, but his grip was ironclad. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest at the crazed look in his eyes.

Suddenly another voice called out. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cool it out man!” Rob Van Dam said as he walked up with a frown. Normally he wasn’t one to get into other people’s business, but he couldn’t in good conscious watch Triple H try to assault Stephanie McMahon. There weren’t any cameras around for it to be work, so he could only assume this was purely a shoot.

“Stay out of this, Rob!” Triple H snapped, looking irate.

“Sorry man, but I’m not going to let you rough up your ex, because you got a chip on your shoulder.” Rob replied, standing his ground. He was not afraid to whoop Hunter’s ass, if he didn’t take his hand off of his ex-wife.

Partly chewing at his bottom lip, Hunter reluctantly released his grip on Stephanie before storming off in a huff. Slowly Rob looked over to Stephanie. “You okay, Steph?” He asked with a mild look of concern. Just because she was Jericho’s business partner, didn’t mean he didn’t remember her being his boss during the invasion that went belly up. When it came down to it, he wasn’t one to watch someone get bullied physically, especially if it wasn’t a part of a storyline.

Slowly Stephanie nodded her head, while trying to gather her composure. A definite line had been crossed at that moment. It was one thing to attack her on camera or in front of crowds, but the way he grabbed her just now would not fly. “I’m alright, just a little taken aback.” She replied, bringing a hand to her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat down.

“I think Hunter’s losing it. You should probably let Taker know, so he knows what to expect during their match tonight.” Rob suggested.

At the mention of Taker, she simply nodded, even as suddenly she was filled with a huge urge to seek him out. The situation with Hunter was beginning to get out of hand and she wasn’t sure how to handle it anymore. She didn’t want to cave and tell him the truth, because in her opinion, he didn’t deserve the peace of mind. Especially not after he ripped her heart out of her chest by dumping her unceremoniously as if she were some random piece of garbage he found on the street.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” She said after clearing her throat.

“Come on, let me take you back to your locker room. You’re sharing with Jericho, Angle and Taker right?”

She merely nodded, allowing Rob to place a hand on her shoulder as he urged her to go back toward the locker rooms. Clearly he wasn’t one of the guys judging her, given how kind he was being to her. Silently they walked together back to the area where she had split off from the others. Her mind was still reeling over what had transpired. By the time they made it to the her assigned locker room, the door was propped open and she could hear several of the guys talking about their matches for the evening. Rob tapped on the doorframe to get their attention.

“Hey did you guys lose someone?” He asked, urging a mildly frazzled Stephanie to go inside.

Immediately all four men looked over to Stephanie with concerned expressions. Though Taker looked as though his anger was rising as she refused to make eye contact with any of them. A surefire sign that something was seriously wrong with her.

“What happened, man?” Jericho asked, before any of the others could.

“Hunter.” Rob replied simply. The moment the one word left his mouth, Mark was on his feet ready to head out the door, but Stephanie grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“Save it for the ring, big guy.” She said, gathering enough of her composure to sound almost normal.

“Are you okay, Steph?” Kurt asked, noting that her hands were slightly trembling even as she gripped to Mark’s arm tightly.

“I will be, I was caught just a little off guard on this one.” She tried to explain.

“I’ll see you guys later.” Rob interrupted, choosing to exit the conversation before things could get anymore tense as he noted Mark looked like he might want to commit murder. He wouldn’t even be surprised if Mark beat the hell out of Hunter in their match later that night. As far as Rob was concerned anything that happened to Hunter, he brought it on himself with the bad juju he was putting out.

The only thing keeping Mark from storming out the room to find Hunter was the fact that Stephanie had a death grip on his arm and he could literally feel her shaking even as she tried to put on a brave front. Whatever Triple H had done, seemed to actually scare her and he couldn’t help but seethe over it. Still she refused to make eye contact with him, which had him wanting to go find Hunter and bash his freaking skull in even more.

“That bloody scoundrel! Did he lay hands on you again?” Regal asked, taking note that she seemed far more reserved than when they had all parted ways earlier.

“Yeah, but it was the look in his eyes that really rattled me. I think he was genuinely going to try and kill me. If Rob hadn’t happened to show up when he did, it would have been bad.” She replied, finally releasing her hold on Mark’s arm in favor of hugging herself. She’d seen Hunter mad before, but there was something almost crazed in his eyes this time around.

“Oh that son of a _bitch_!” Mark muttered, turning to head out the door once more, though Stephanie was quick to grab his wrist. This time when he whipped his head around to look at her, she gazed up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. Lightly his hand gripped her wrist, giving it slight comforting squeeze.

Jericho, Kurt and Regal looked at each other in silence, all of them pretty much on the same page that Stephanie and Mark needed a moment alone.

“Don’t worry, big man. We’ll go have a chat with Hunter. He needs to know that putting his hands on Steph isn’t going to fly.” Kurt said as the three men climbed to their feet and headed for the door.

“For the time being, it’s probably best if you stay with one of us at all times during these house shows.” Jericho added, no sense in taking any chances if Hunter was going to be acting like a raving lunatic.

Stephanie merely nodded her agreement. Jericho nodded back, before closing the door behind him as the three men left Mark and Stephanie alone for the time being. The instant the door shut, she threw herself into Mark’s arms, burying her face against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, lightly rubbing one of his hands over her back in a soothing gesture. Obviously she just needed some comfort, so he chose to remain silent, giving her a chance to collect herself. Gently he rested his cheek on top her hair, while he patiently waited for her to calm down.

“He seriously thinks you and I were having an affair since last year.” She whispered, while lightly shaking her head.

“So he’s being really delusional.” Mark replied, frowning. He shook his own head in disbelief. He honestly thought Hunter was more intelligent than that. The man must have been supremely insecure to believe that he and Stephanie had been running behind his back for the better part of a year. Especially when it was the fact that they had happened to land on the same side of a feud for the first time in over two years, that had actually brought them together.

“I can’t bring myself to correct him, because I don’t think he deserves to be smartened up. He snapped on me because I wouldn’t confirm or deny his suspicions.” She told him, finally glancing up.

“He _doesn't_ deserve to know the truth, but I can’t abide by him continually attacking you. Either you have to enlighten him or I may end up killing him instead. Cause if he puts his paws on you one more time, I’m the one who is going to snap.” Mark said, bringing his hands up to cup her face.

Lightly she bit her bottom lip because she could see the sincerity and barely contained rage in Mark’s eyes. The last thing she wanted was for him to get in trouble for crippling or worse killing Triple H. As much as she wanted Hunter to suffer, she really didn’t want Mark getting in trouble for trying to protect her. Slowly she nodded her agreement as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.

“Just promise me, you won’t try to murder him if he tries to attack me during your match tonight.” She said, resting her head against his chest again, while keeping her arms wrapped around his waist.

“I won’t murder him, but I can’t promise that I won’t beat the ever living shit out of him.” He replied, while hugging her back. As far as he was concerned, Hunter had earned himself the beating of a lifetime, when they got into the ring later. Regardless of what he believed, nothing justified Triple H trying to attack Stephanie to the point of actually frightening her. Thus Mark silently vowed to extract payback out of his ass.

 

xXx

 

True to their word, Jericho, Kurt and Regal sought out Triple H to set him straight, having had enough of the attacks on Stephanie. They didn’t much care for the storyline attacks that happened on television, but attacking her backstage at a house show served no real purpose. When they finally came across Hunter he was talking to Flair, to Hunter’s credit, he seemed to be looking on the remorseful side.

“Hey Hunter.” Kurt called out, getting the two men’s attention. Instantly both Triple H and Flair stiffened. Flair immediately stepped out in front of Hunter, looking to defuse the situation before things got more out of hand.

“Whoa guys, let’s just chill out here.” Flair said, raising his hands in a non-threatening move.

“It’s fine, Flair. We just came to talk.” Jericho said, in a nonchalant manner that didn’t match the menacing look in his eye.

“Don’t you dare, try to protect this animal!” Regal snapped, having had enough of everyone acting like Hunter was justified in physically attacking Stephanie because they were getting a divorce. He pushed past, Flair and grabbed Hunter by the collar of his t-shirt. “You listen here, sunshine! I’ve had enough of you putting your hands on Stephanie McMahon. I really don’t care if she lied to you or even if you somehow think she was cheating on you. There is absolutely no excuse to keep assaulting her. That woman has more class in her pinky finger than you have in your whole rotten body! It’s because of her, that you don’t have a six foot ten, deadman over here beating the living daylights out of your sorry carcass!”

Roughly Regal pushed Hunter into the wall, barely keeping a lid on his rage. The moment Flair tried to push Regal back, he shrugged away from the other man’s touch and shot a glare at him. “Keep your bloody hands to yourself, Flair! If Mark had his way, he would be the one over here, teaching this oaf a lesson he’d never forget!”

“Look! I know Hunter was out of line, he knows too. We were just discussing it. There’s no need to make things uglier than they already are!” Flair snapped.

“Flair, we only really came to warn Hunter, that this is the absolute last time that any of us are going to tolerate him putting his hands on Stephanie. If he tries to physically assault her again, we are all going to beat the shit out of him.” Jericho said firmly.

“You got that, Hunter?” Kurt asked, looking at Triple H directly. “You keep your hands off of her. If you touch her, even at ringside be prepared to get your butt kicked all over the arena!”

“Yeah, I got it, Kurt.” Hunter replied, his own rage building again. Though it wasn’t like he hadn’t been expecting the guys working with her to stand up for her. However the only one he was really worried about was the Undertaker. He knew first hand, how sadistic the deadman could get, especially when someone he cared about was attacked. He’d seen it first hand when he and Steve had injured Kane and then he saw it again when Steve had framed him, tricking Mark into thinking that Sara had been in horrible accident. He could only imagine what Mark would do during their matches, he was definitely going to be in for it.

 

xXx

 

As the time grew closer for Stephanie to make her third appearance at ringside for the night. She went to change her outfit, something that she normally didn’t do. But since her father had wanted her and Mark to be more overt with their storyline romance, she figured a new outfit would help with the effect. She’d worn black leather on several occasions, but she hadn’t really wore jeans for work. She had to check herself out in one of the full length mirrors in the ladies’ restroom, the black hip hugging jeans went perfect with her black platform boots. She chose to pair the pants with one of her sleeveless leather tops or rather more like a leather corset that had a large silver zipper up the center.

She partly frowned, noting slight bruises forming on her upper arm where Hunter had grabbed her earlier. Hopefully Mark wouldn’t notice as the last thing she wanted was to set him off into a rage before he even made it down to the ring. She inhaled deeply, adjusting her choker and smoothing over her hair.

A light tapping at the door caught her attention. “I’m almost ready.” She said simply. Satisfied that she looked good enough for a house show crowd, she went to open the door. Though instead of Jericho waiting on her, she was greeted by Mark, leaning on the doorframe. Slowly he raked an appraising gaze over her, his eyes falling on the faint bruising on her upper arm. She immediately noticed where he was staring, thus she quickly leaned in to kiss him.

Instinctively he brought a hand up to rest on her cheek. Though he broke the kiss after a short moment. “You look beautiful.” He whispered. “Come on, we’re entering the ring first.” He added with a slight nod of his head. For the time being, he chose to leave the subject of the bruises alone. He was fairly certain that they came from the incident with Hunter earlier, but he didn’t want confirmation as he already planned to beat the crap out of the other man.

 

xXx

 

Since it was a house show, the entrances were simplified thus the Undertaker didn’t do his motorcycle entrance rather he walked out. The crowd instantly popped for him. He had to smirk since no matter how many shitty things he did, he always managed to get those initial wave of cheers. Though he could always turn the tide with a simple gesture in this case, the gesture came when he stopped and turned back toward the entrance. The moment Stephanie stepped out from behind the curtains for a third time tonight, the crowd began booing yet again.

Both she and Taker smirked as they embraced much to the crowds confusion. Her appearance by his side immediately taking on a different tone than it had earlier for Jericho and Kurt Angle. Quickly the crowd became a mix of cheers and boos, several ‘slut’ chants breaking out as they made their way to the ring. Taker making the grand gesture of holding the ropes open so Stephanie could climb into the ring easier.

She stood against one of the turnbuckles, watching as the Undertaker moved around the ring trying to get more reactions out of the crowd, the wave of camera flashes proving people still wanted to see him. As the announcer went to introduce Triple H, Taker walked over to Steph and leaned in to whisper near her ear. “Promise me, you’ll stay away from Hunter.” He told her as he wasn’t taking any chances tonight. She nodded her agreement as he pressed a kiss to her tempo. The crowd really going crazy with a mix of boos and cheers over what they were witnessing. No doubt the internet would be buzzing over this house shows developments.

Once again he lifted the middle rope to allow Stephanie to exit the ring, before Triple H could get inside.

That turned out to be a blessing since Triple H was on fire as he quickly slid under the ropes and went on the attack, the crowd cheering him all the way. Taker barely had a chance to take off his vest as Triple H started clubbing him over the neck and shoulders with heavy forearms. Though he managed to quickly turn the tide grabbing Triple H by his shoulders and tossing him into the turnbuckle following it up with a series of punches to his midsection. The referee already yelling at him to let the smaller man out of the corner.

"Shut up!" He snapped, menacing the referee as per usual.

Stephanie walked around the ring, watching the action closely. Occasionally engaging with the hecklers calling her 'slut' and 'homewrecker', which was a new one for her, but she took the jab in stride. Though it was a small group of guys chanting 'You look hot!' at her, that surprised her. She knew that she had some fans but they usually got drowned out by the boos.

The action spilled out of the ring and she moved back as not to hinder the guys, she knew the drill. She resisted the urge to interfere, even when it looked like Hunter was gaining the upper hand. Once the referee started counting them out, Hunter rolled back into the ring to break the count. Though by the time he came back out, Taker had gotten back to his feet and hit him in the chin with a sharp uppercut and then proceeded to hang him up on the barrier. The crowd audibly groaned for Hunter. Just as swiftly he kicked Hunter in the head, knocking him off the barrier back to the ringside floor.

Stephanie clapped for him as she moved away, putting distance between herself and the guys. Finally Taker rolled Hunter back into the ring and got back inside himself. Shakily Hunter climbed to his feet and Taker grabbed him to whip him into the ropes, but Hunter countered. Next thing Taker was getting hit with a knee buster to the face and being set up for the pedigree as the crowd roared with approval. That's the moment that she broke her promise as she quickly scrambled into the ring and gave Hunter a low blow before he could hit his finisher. Instantly he released Taker who stumbled backwards into the ropes. The referee was about to call for the bell when she shoved him down.

"Don't you dare!" She shouted, using her power as a McMahon to menace the referee. The distraction enough for Hunter to recover and grab her by the back of her hair. Though she gave him another low blow by kicking her leg backward. He released her, but when Taker clubbed him on the back with a forearm, Hunter collided with Stephanie sending her stumbling forward through the ropes onto the floor. However she took the bump like a professional, gesturing for Taker to keep on Hunter, even as she sat on the floor grasping at her ankle.

This time Taker got the chokeslam on Hunter and then immediately went for the tombstone piledriver rather than the last ride powerbomb. He pinned him and the referee was forced to count the pinfall. The crowd erupted into boos. The 'slut' chants coming back in full force. Though Taker didn't bother to gloat or heckle the audience, instead he picked Hunter back up and powerbombed him hard into the mat, putting an exclamation point on the win.

Slowly Stephanie started climbing to her feet. She grimaced from the pain as she could barely put pressure on her injured ankle. Gingerly she limped along the barrier, until Taker got out of the ring to check on her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, grabbing a hold of her waist to help support her weight.

"Pretty sure I twisted my ankle on that fall." She replied, looking apologetic that she got herself injured. She just wanted to help him, now she was going to hear it from her dad and the rest of the guys for this botch.

He merely nodded as he scooped her up into his arms and headed back toward the backstage entrance. "You broke your promise, Steph." He said, definitely sounding disappointed. While he appreciated that she wanted to help him, he’d honestly rather lose than see her get injured trying to aid him.

"I wasn't going to let him pedigree you." She defended her actions. As far as she was concerned, she was ringside to ensure her guys picked up the victories whenever possible. No matter, how tainted those victories might be.

"We'll finish this conversation later. Let's get you to the trainer, so he can check out your ankle." He sighed, not wanting to argue with her at that moment. He already knew she had that McMahon stubborn streak. He was just relieved that she hadn't been _seriously_ injured. In the grand scheme of things a hurt ankle was the least of their worries.


	6. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie's injury at the house show brings some things to light.

She found herself back in the comfort of her hotel room after a trip back from the emergency room. Thankfully she had only suffered a minor sprained ankle, but still it sucked since it meant she’d be walking around with a limp for the next couple of weeks. It also put the rest of her appearances into possible jeopardy. The fact that the next appearance was in neighboring city made things slightly easier, since it meant that they didn’t need to leave super early to be on time. However that didn’t change the fact that she was suppose to be resting her injured ankle.

Then there was the fact that Mark, Kurt and Chris were mad at her for being reckless. She honestly didn’t know what they expected from her. If she were going to be ringside than it meant she would be interfering from time to time. That was just how it was, otherwise what would be her function in a faction with them? Her cellphone rang, snapping her from her thoughts, instinctively she answered it without checking the Caller ID.

“Hello.”

“Hey Pumpkin, are you alright? I heard you got hurt tonight.” Came her father’s concerned voice.

“I’m alright, I just ended up spraining my ankle. They said it's minor and I should be fine in a couple of weeks.” She replied, keeping her tone neutral. If she didn’t sound stressed then he was less likely to make a big deal of it.

“What happened, sweetheart?”

“I lost my balance and fell out of the ring. When I stumbled, I twisted my ankle.” She explained, without giving actual details because the less he knew the better.

“I heard from some of the agents that you and the guys got strong negative reactions when you came out with them during their matches. So why don’t you come home and rest until your next Raw appearance?” He asked in that tone he would use when he went into pure dad mode.

Instinctively Stephanie squeezed her phone, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. What use was she in a faction, if at any little injury she got temporarily shelved? She had taken plenty of bumps before, this had just so happened to be the one time that she got a legit injury from it.

“Dad, it’s just two more shows. I think I can handle that even with a sprained ankle.” She replied, trying to keep her irritation out of her voice.

“But you’d have to be out there three times each show and that would mean spending upwards to ten to thirty minutes on your feet each time.” He pointed out with a concerned lilt to his tone.

She sighed as he was making sense, her ankle was still tender and standing for too long made it hurt, but she didn’t feel as though the pain were enough to keep her away. “Dad, why do you want me to be in a faction with the guys?” She asked, abruptly changing the subject.

“Honey you’re ability to get heat with the crowds makes you valuable as a heel. While Jericho and Kurt can get consistent boos from the crowds, it’s harder for Taker. Even when he does seriously cruel things, the crowds _still_ want to support him. He’s gotten the most consistent boos at just the implication that you two might be involved. That’s tremendous.” Vince explained, his excitement growing at what could become of a faction lead by her. “I need a heel faction that the crowds hate, but are still worthy main eventers. Jericho, Kurt and Taker can draw win or lose, but with you in their corner, people will pay even more to see them get ‘put in their place’.”

She almost laughed listening to her dad’s explanation for wanting them to be a faction. The crowds did seem to love to hate her. “So would that make me their manager or would I be their business partner as well?”

“Honey, you can haggle with the guys over your title. Business partners, business associates, or manager, it all works.” He told her with a small chuckle. “Come home and rest until Raw. I know you’re a McMahon, so you don’t like being seen as weak, but I’d feel better if you were back in Stamford. Preferably off that ankle.”

She sighed again, hating that feeling that she was losing the battle to stay and finish the house show appearances. It was fairly evident that he wanted to keep her with the guys as a faction, he just didn’t want her making her current injury worse.

“Okay, I’ll let the guys know in the morning that I’m bowing out for the time being.” She finally conceded, though she didn’t sound happy about it.

“That’s my girl. I’ll see you when you get back.” Vince said, sounding pleased. Though before she could reply, he ended the call.

She tossed her cell phone beside her on the sofa and leaned her head back against the cushions, while she kept her leg propped up on the coffee table with a pillow underneath her ankle and an ice pack sitting directly on top of it. What a bust this day turned out to be.

 

xXx

 

Taker found himself sitting at local strip club for drinks with his brother, Regal and Jericho. While Kurt had been invited, he opted to go back to the hotel as he wasn't much of a drinker and didn't want to ruin anyone's good time.

However Taker wasn't really having a good time. It was fairly evident that he was still upset over Stephanie getting injured during his match. Of course, he couldn't help but feel responsible, since he had been the one to hit Hunter, which led to him bumping into Steph. While it hadn't been a serious injury, she was still injured on his watch.

After spending the better part of an hour watching his brother knock back beers and silently brood, Glenn finally had enough. The moment Jericho and Regal left the table to get more drinks and speak to some of the dancers. Glenn moved over to sit down beside his brother. "Mark, why aren't you with Stephanie? Clearly she is consuming your thoughts here."

Mark stiffened, his movements pausing as he had been mid-drink when Glenn decided to confront him. "We'll just end up arguing." He replied, placing his beer bottle back on the table.

“Then go argue and then fucking make up with her!” Glenn snapped, not one to sugarcoat anything for anyone let alone his brother. “It was an accident, man. You can’t hold it against her to want to help you out of trouble.”

“I don’t hold that against her! But she promised to stay away from Hunter.” He replied, curtly.

"Yeah and the McMahons are known for keeping their word." Glenn said sarcastically. "Come on, man. What is this really about?"

Mark let out a frustrated sigh, before glancing over to Glenn. There was a definite guilt there that he didn't want to admit to himself, let alone acknowledge to anyone else.

"I know that look. You had it when Mick busted me in the shoulder blade with a sledgehammer. And again when Steve and Hunter broke my arm. Man, this was an accident. I'm sure she is not blaming you for what happened. So why are you torturing yourself?" Glenn asked with a sigh of his own.

"Glenn, you didn't see her earlier in the day after her run in with Hunter. She wouldn't even let me go handle him. Jericho, Kurt and Regal had to talk to him." He didn't even finish his thought as he was just getting frustrated all over again.

"Mark, go talk to her and hash this out. Unless you want things to fail with her too."

Mark whipped his head toward Glenn ready to snap at him for that last remark, but stopped short when he saw the look in his brother's eyes. Instantly he sighed as he pulled out his cellphone and car keys. "Here, I'll call a taxi to take me back to the hotel." He said simply, handing over the rental car keys to Glenn.

Glenn simply nodded, pocketing the keys as he watched his brother head for the door. He could only hope that his brother sorted his shit out before he not only had to deal with the fall out of his marriage but the collapse of his newly forming relationship with Stephanie McMahon.

 

xXx

 

Stephanie had finally managed to change into more comfortable clothing, her black tank top and a pair of dark gray yoga pants. Since she planned on leaving fairly early to get back to Connecticut, she decided there wasn't much point in putting on pajamas, she’d just sleep in her clothes. She was slowly packing up her stuff when she heard a knock at her door.

Her back stiffened as she straightened her posture. Considering how late it was, she had a fairly good idea of who was knocking at her door. Though she wasn't sure if she wanted to answer the door as she didn't want to fight. Another knock at the door signaled that they weren't going away. Slowly she made her way to the door and looked through the peephole, only to see Hunter standing outside her door.

"What do you want, Hunter?" She asked, refusing to open the door just in case he went off again.

"Steph, can we please talk? I know I owe you an apology from before. I couldn't sleep until I set things right with you."

"I'm not interested."

"Steph, please just hear me out." He pleaded, his voice full of a sincerity that she hadn't heard in a long time.

She let out a heavy sigh, reluctantly opening the door. "You got two minutes before I'm closing this door again."

"I'm sorry for grabbing you earlier, I was way out of line."

"You think?!" She asked sarcastically, while gesturing to the bruises on her arm from his harsh grip.

He visibly flinched, glancing away in shame. But she felt no regret for her own harsh tone. "If that's all, then I'm done." She added, attempting to shut the door, but he caught it.

"Steph, please. I don't want to spend the rest of my life arguing with you. Can't we find a way to be civil to each other."

"Hunter, you humiliated me on national television. This as civil as we get." She said firmly, trying to close the door again.

"Okay, I admit it was extreme of me to just go off like that, but it wasn't like you were innocent." He conceded, trying to find it in himself to apologize for overreacting. He could have went about things differently, he knew that.

"Right, I know I lied to you, but did it ever occur to you that I was planning to have your children? I had already discussed going off my birth control treatments with my actual doctor. She told me there was no reason I couldn't get pregnant once the medication had cleared my system." Stephanie admitted, allowing the hurt to momentarily touch her eyes. "But that's the past now. Whether you like it or not, I'm moving on."

Hunter stood in silence staring at Stephanie realizing for the first time, that he made a lot of assumptions about her that weren't all correct. "You really weren't cheating on me with Mark were you?" He sighed, feeling like the biggest dumbass on the planet.

"No, I wasn't. While I've been attracted to Mark since I was a teenager. When I was with you, I was committed to us one hundred percent." She confirmed. "Hunter, just so you know. I'm not telling you this because I think you deserve to know. I'm telling you for Mark's sake. He doesn't deserve to be constantly caught in the middle of our drama, especially when he has own stuff to worry over." Stephanie added, wanting Hunter to be clear that she probably wasn't going to be forgiving him anytime soon.

Hunter visibly flinched again, as he felt she might as well have slapped him. But he got the message loud and clear, she was looking out for her new man. Even if the notion made him feel sick with jealousy, he was just going to have to accept it. Though before he could say anything, he noticed Stephanie glance up and look past him. Instantly he took his hand off the door and followed her eye line to see Mark standing at the adjacent hallway.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked, with a definite menacing look in his eyes toward Hunter.

"No, I just came to apologize to Stephanie for earlier. I'm leaving now." Hunter replied, holding his hands up to signal he wasn't looking for another fight. Quickly he walked away choosing to go in the opposite direction instead of trying to get past Mark.

Once Hunter was out of sight, both Stephanie and Mark looked toward each other. "How much of that did you hear?" She asked, just a tad warily as she didn’t know how he would feel about anything she had just said to Hunter.

Slowly he shook his head, while he heard a good portion of their conversation, the only part that he cared about was the confirmation that Hunter was the past. "It doesn't matter." He replied, his expression softening toward her.

Instinctively she moved back to let him into the room. He took her silent invitation without hesitation, heading inside the room. The moment she closed the door, she turned around and was met with a kiss. While she could taste the beer on his breath she didn't pull away. It wasn't until her ankle really started protesting her standing on it, that she pulled back from his lips. He simply scooped her up into his arms and sat down on the sofa, situating her into his lap, so she could keep her ankle elevated.

"Babe, I’m sorry I broke my promise, but I didn’t have it in me to let him do the pedigree on you.” She apologized, while nuzzling her face against the side of his neck.

“I know…” He trailed off, he hadn’t even been angry over her interfering in general. “I just don’t want you sacrificing yourself to help me. I’d rather eat a pinfall than see you get injured.”

She looked him in the eyes and for the first time, noted the guilt that he seemed to be feeling. Lightly she sighed, because she didn't want him feeling guilty over her mistakes. She didn’t want him to feel as though he had to always be protecting her. That would only make her a weakness to him and that was the last thing she wanted.

“Mark, we’re kinda on the same boat here. Do you know how guilty I would feel if I cost you a match?” She told him, resting her head against his shoulder. “And when it comes to Hunter, no way am I letting _him_ get more wins over you.”

Mark found himself chuckling as he rubbed a hand down her back. Since they were talking about Hunter, there was something that he needed to get off his chest. Something that had been nagging at him from the back of his mind. “Honestly, I think there has been a part of me, wondering if you were still trying to protect Hunter, in spite of everything he has done to you.” He finally confessed, feeling more guilt for doubting her in the first place, but this was a new relationship for them both. “I can see now, that you have been trying to protect me, but I hope you know that you don’t _have_ to shield me from your relationship fall out.”

She lifted her head up to look into his eyes again, bringing her hands up to grasp his face, her fingers lightly brushing over his cheek. It genuinely surprised her to hear that confession, since Mark was the last person she would ever expect to feel any sort of insecurity. “Aww babe, you know I’m more a sadist than a masochist.” She joked lightheartedly, though after a moment her look sobered. “Babe, I know I don’t have to shield you, but I didn’t want to ruin things between us, by letting you get dragged into my ongoing drama with Hunter. He is absolutely the past and I rather start looking to the future.”

“Heh, guess we really _are_ on the same boat." He lamented. Everything had been falling apart in his personal life with the exception of her. She was _the_ bright spot in a rather dark chapter in his life. He hadn't ever expected to connect with her the way he had and now he was growing fearful of losing her before they really even got started.

Lightly she rested her forehead against his in a comforting gesture. While her romance with Hunter had been pretty whirlwind, things between her and Mark seemed to be going even faster. It was kinda scary to think of how attached they had become within the span of a little less than two months. But here they were.

“Look I’m headed back to Stamford in a few hours, Dad thinks I should just rest before the last Raw and Smackdown leading into Wrestlemania.” She finally told him, while laying her head on his shoulder.

Mark’s grip on her tightened at the sudden news. “Any chance I can convince you to stay?” He asked, he didn’t care about the house show appearances, he just wanted to spend some time with her. Even if that meant that she was just hanging out with him in the backstage area rather than going down to the ring with him and the other guys.

“Wouldn’t you get bored having me around, while I'm having to constantly nurse my ankle?” She asked gesturing toward her bandaged up ankle for good measure.

Gently he lightly rubbed a hand over her injured ankle, while pressing a kiss to her neck. “Remember when I told you, that ‘I think I like taking care of you’?” He asked, pressing another kiss to her jawline. “Well I _definitely_ do like taking care of you. If you let me.” He added, pressing yet another kiss to chin.

She found herself melting into those kisses and caresses coming from him. Until finally she grasped his face to make him pause. “I’ll stay, but only on one condition! You have got to clean up first. You smell like the bar right about now and I’d rather you didn’t.” She told him with an amused little smirk, her possessive streak shining through.

He chuckled, stealing yet another kiss from her before slowly climbing to his feet with her still in his arms. “Sounds like a deal to me.” He replied, moving to take her into the bedroom.

 

xXx

 

By the time, he had gotten out of the shower, he found that Stephanie had fallen asleep. Not that he was surprised, she had been given pain medication at the hospital after all. It was more surprising that she had stayed up as long as she had. The day had truly been a long one.

Slowly he crawled into bed with her, gently pulling her into his arms. She instinctively snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Idly he ran his fingers through her hair as the fatigue from the day began to overtake him. The sounds and steady movements of her breathing lulling him to sleep.

However It didn’t feel as if he had been asleep long when he opened his eyes again, the sound of a ringing phone jarring him awake. He could feel Stephanie stir beside him as he blindly groped around for the culprit phone that was continuously going off. Finally he grabbed a hold of the offending phone to find that it was in fact, Stephanie’s phone.

“It’s your phone babe.” He told her lightly rubbing her arm to wake her further.

Groggily she took it as she shifted herself to an upright position to answer it. “Hello?” She answered sleepily.

“Stephanie, I was just calling to check if you really cancelled your private flight.” Linda’s voice came through the phone.

Stephanie blinked several times in confusion as she hadn’t spoken to her mother in a few weeks, not since her mother had told Hunter that she wasn’t pregnant, ruining all of her plans. Slowly a scowl broke out across her face. “Yeah, I decided to stay. Even if I don’t go out to ringside, I can still support the guys from backstage.” She said, unwilling to tell her mother about Mark, lest she ruin that relationship too.

“Are you _sure_ that’s a good idea?” Linda asked, seemingly more aware of things than Stephanie wanted her to be.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Stephanie asked, trying to keep the edge out of her tone

“Honey, I’m just worried about you. I would hate for your injury to turn more serious.”

“Right, you’re _so_ worried. I’ll worry over my own condition, thank you very much.” Stephanie snapped, hanging up on her mother. She resisted the urge to throw her phone as she let herself drop back against the pillows.

“Was that Vince?”

“No, it was my mother.” Stephanie replied, tossing her phone onto the nightstand on her side of the bed. “She’s worried that my injury might turn more serious.” She added with a scoff. Suddenly she grimaced as she moved her leg wrong and her ankle began throbbing. “Dammit.” She groaned, draping her arm over her eyes to keep her emotions in check.

Mark sat up to check the time on his phone. It was definitely still early morning, but not too early to order room service. “Are you hungry?” He asked, choosing to change the subject, besides he told her that he would take care of her. It was the reason she chose to stay.

“Yeah, I can definitely eat.” She sighed, reaching out to rest her other hand on his shoulder. “Sorry I fell asleep on you. I was trying to hang on, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.”

"It's fine, I figured there was a fifty/fifty shot that you'd be able to stay awake." He chuckled, leaning down to drop a kiss to the top of her head.

Instinctively she reached out to capture his face, her blue eyes locking with his green eyes. "I'll make it up to you." She whispered, pressing a tender kiss to his lips.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” He chuckled, leaning down to give her another kiss. “But first, let’s take care of your ankle.”

She simply nodded, while she was still annoyed with herself for getting injured on her first night at the house show. But it was hard not to grow even more attached to Mark when he was willing to take care of her. It just cemented to her that she made the right choice in staying with him.

 


	7. More Opposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More than a few people are not liking the idea of Stephanie and the Undertaker being together.

Linda found herself frowning as her daughter unceremoniously hung up on her, not that she hadn’t expected as much. Every since she had tipped Hunter off that Stephanie had been lying to him, Stephanie had decided to cut her off entirely. She wouldn’t even speak to her at work. She heard the inklings that her daughter was indeed involved with Mark Calaway and that the storyline romance that Vince had concocted was only meant to defuse some of the gossip.

Truly there was a level of disappointment in Stephanie for not only ruining her own marriage through lies, but taking down someone else’s marriage in the process. Though the thing that got her was Vince seemed to be strangely okay with the idea of their daughter and Mark Calaway potentially being together. It just came off as weird to her, since she knew first hand it had taken him a few months to warm up to Stephanie being with Hunter, back when that relationship was new.

She didn’t have long to think things over before Vince peeked through her office door. Things between them were still strained, but they were attempting to work out their issues. “My secretary said you needed to speak to me.” He said as he walked further into the office and took a seat.

He seemed to be on the amused side, causing Linda to narrow her gaze at him. Her suspicions that he was up to something, making her slightly frown.

“Yeah, Vince. I’m just wondering why you sent our daughter out to the house shows, when she’s normally just an on-air talent?” Linda asked, growing quite tired of his devious planning.

“You make it sound nefarious when you use that tone of voice. I was just doing some crowd testing to see how they would react to her being ringside with Kurt and the Undertaker, while allowing  her and Jericho to practice for Wrestlemania.” He replied, using his notorious ‘harmless and innocent’ tone.

“Okay, so why are you pushing this storyline romance with Steph and Mark?”

“Well at first it was just to control the rumor mill, but the crowd reactions that Mark is getting for the implications of him being involved with Steph, is more fitting for his heel character.” Vince smiled, still quite pleased that he could get an actual heel faction that people loved to hate out of the whole ordeal.

“Vince, are you sure it is a good idea to put the two of them together? He’s still married after all.” She asked, clearly concerned.

“Oh come on, Linda. They are adults. Besides from what I heard, his wife has already started filing for a divorce and he is counter filing against her. So what’s the problem with him and Stephanie working an angle together?” Vince retorted, while thinking, ‘And if they happen to take advantage of the situation to get together, then it works out even better.’

“So you have zero problems if she and Mark end up together then?” She asked, watching Vince closely.

“Linda, what’s with the twenty questions? Why are you so worried about Stephanie and Mark? It’s your fault that Stephanie is in the middle of a divorce anyway! You didn’t have to tell Hunter anything, but you chose to blow the whistle on your own daughter.”

“He deserved to know the truth. It wasn’t right for her to lie about being pregnant.” She defended.

“It wasn’t your place to say anything though. How many times have you chided me for interfering in our children’s relationships? Why is it okay for you to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, but if I do anything I’m automatically in the wrong?”

Linda stiffened as he was making a valid point, she had got on his case multiple times for trying to interfere in Stephanie and Shane’s love lives. If she had things to do over again, she would have confronted her daughter first rather then going immediately to Hunter. While she knew he would be angry, she hadn’t quite expected him to blow up the way he did on national television. Though honestly she should have suspected that he would go over the top.

“I take it you don’t have an answer then?” Vince asked as her silence was speaking volumes. “Whatever is going on between our daughter and Mark Calaway is their business, not ours. As long as those two can work their angle, I don’t care what they do on their time.” He added as he stood up.

Linda said nothing as she watched Vince leave, while he was making sense in some respect, she couldn’t help but feel he was up to something. She knew that Mark Calaway was one of her husband’s favorite wrestlers for his loyalty and work rate and well she respected him as a worker too. Though she hadn’t quite forgiven him for going along with Vince and Shane’s plans to torture her and Stephanie back in 1999. While her parts were never really televised, she had worried for her daughter’s safety and seen the torment the whole ordeal had put her through. It was because of Vince and his obsession with getting at Stone Cold Steve Austin that eventually their daughter turned into a monster exactly like her father.

 

xXx

 

Stephanie had been sitting in the trainer’s room backstage, first getting her ankle re-bandaged and then having it iced, while Mark kept her company. It seemed most of the guys were surprised to see her still there despite the minor injury. Not that she cared what they thought of her in general, but it amused her that several of the guys were finding a new layer of respect for her outside of her being the boss’ daughter.

“You almost ready to go back to the locker room?” Mark asked, lightly nudging her as she leaned against him.

“Yeah, I think so.” She replied, taking the ice pack off of her ankle before slowly swinging her legs over the side of the therapy table.

Mark got down from the table first, his hands quickly moving to her waist to help her down, so that she didn’t put unnecessary pressure on her sore ankle. She slipped her shoes on, thankful that she had thought ahead to bring a pair of comfortable tennis shoes. They walked in relative silence as they made their way back to the locker room, though they were cut off when they happened to bump into Ric Flair.

“Oh well don’t you two look _cozy_.” He said, earning himself a pair of glares.

“What do you want, Flair?” Mark asked, looking like he might hit Ric in the face at any moment.

“I just wanted to be sure that Stephanie was doing alright after what happened yesterday. I may be on hiatus from my duties as an owner, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about the talent.” He replied, sounding completely disingenuous.

Both Stephanie and Mark gave Ric flat stares, before her expression slowly changed to pure venom. Pain or no pain, she was not going to be intimidated. “How kind of you, Ric. I’m truly touched. So much so that I’ll be sure to have Kurt give you a gift from me, during your match with him tonight.”

Instantly the smug look on Ric’s face died away as he glared back at her and Mark. Though now both she and Mark were the ones looking smug. Kurt had gone relatively easy on Ric the night before, even with Stephanie ringside they hadn’t been outright vicious. But all bets were off, now that he wanted to be an asshole to her.

“You don’t have to do that.” Ric said through a tense smile.

“What, you would turn down a generous gesture from Stephanie?” Mark asked with a feint shocked expression.

“Well if her generosity is anything like yours, I may be overwhelmed.” He replied with a fake smile of his own.

“Oh my generosity is far more on par with that of my father’s generosity. I think we both know, just how _giving_ my father can be.” Stephanie said with that trademark McMahon smirk.

Suddenly Arn Anderson appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. “Hey Ric, I’ve been looking for you. Do you got a moment?” He asked, before glancing toward Mark and Stephanie. “I hope I’m not interrupting you three.” He added, attempting to be civil to some of his least favorite people.

“Of course not, Arn. We were just headed back to the locker room.” Stephanie replied, before moving to push past the two older men with Mark following right behind her.

Ric scowled as he watched the pair walk off, while his friend Arn just shook his head at him. “Ric, what are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything, Arn. I was just being cordial.” Ric said dryly. He already knew that Arn didn’t quite agree with him taking on the Undertaker. However Arn also knew how personal the Undertaker had made things.

“Come on, man. Her father is already your enemy. Why are you trying to push her too? You already got Taker, the sadist after you, do you really want his sadist chick after you too?” Arn questioned, clearly thinking his friend was insane for trying to provoke Stephanie McMahon. The last thing he wanted was for Vince, Stephanie and Taker to all go after his best friend. The trio would be a helluva lot worse than any one of them on their own.

Ric sighed, before looking over to Arn with a flat expression. “Don’t worry, Arn. I got this.” Ric replied, giving Arn a pat on the shoulder. “I may be out of power for now, but that’s only until Wrestlemania. Once I get my ownership powers back, things will shift again.”

“I don’t know, Ric. I think Vince McMahon may have you beat for the title of dirtiest player in the game. The man is more than willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He sacrificed his own daughter to the Undertaker to get over on Steve Austin. And Steve Austin was _just_ the federation champion at the time. Just think what he is willing to do you.”

Ric frowned as he found it disturbing too, whatever his children thought of him, he never wanted to see them used as pawns. The fact that McMahon’s daughter could not only forgive her dad, but the man who aided him, still boggled Ric’s mind. “I know, man. It really isn’t lost on me that McMahon has groomed his daughter into being a female version of himself. Hell, I’m pretty sure he _wants_ her to be with the Undertaker for that matter.”

“Well I think that is all the more reason, not to try to get on her bad side. She seems pretty content to focus on her soon to be ex, Hunter. You should just leave it at that.” Arn sighed.

“You are not the least bit curious, why he wants her to be with Taker?” Ric asked, curiously.

“No, I’m not. Taker attacked me once just to get to you. I’m not interested in what he would do to me, if I went actively sticking my nose in his business. Just leave it alone, Ric. Focus on your match and then getting your ownership powers back.”

Ric sighed again, while part of him knew Arn was right. There was a part of him that couldn’t let the mystery go. Mainly because he had a feeling it would affect the business as a whole. In his point of view, nothing good could come of Stephanie McMahon and the Undertaker becoming a united front. If she could wreak havoc with Triple H, he could only imagine what she could do with a legend like the Phenom by her side.

 

xXx

 

Kurt and Jericho were discussing their respective matches, when Stephanie and Mark came through the door. Kurt immediately got up to offer her the folding chair he was using as he moved over to the bench in the locker room.

“Here you go, Steph.” He gestured to the empty chair. Jericho relinquished his chair as well, so she could elevate her leg.

“Thanks guys.” She replied, taking the offered seats and putting her leg up. Quite grateful that the guys had gotten over their annoyance with her as they finally recognized that it was an accident. Both men had apologized for arguing with her over her injury back at the hotel, before they made the trek to the new venue. It definitely made her feel better about sticking around as she didn’t want to come to the arena if she had to keep defending her actions.

“So we got the new sheets for the last show. It looks like they want us to do a six man tag for the final show tomorrow against Flair, Hunter and Kane.” Kurt said, handing the paper off to Mark.

Mark slightly frowned, but otherwise remained silent. However when he glanced up at Stephanie he could almost see the gears in her mind spinning.

“What are you thinking, Steph?" He asked her flatly.

"I'm thinking that sounds like a perfect opportunity to give Hunter and Ric a parting gift." She replied, with a devious smile on her face.

Mark instantly chuckled, while Kurt and Jericho gave the pair a questioning look.

"What are you two up too?" Jericho asked, considering they were all likely becoming partners after Wrestlemania.

"Ric's been trying to pick a fight with me. He's gotten in my face no less than twice just this past week." Stephanie replied, recalling her conversation with Flair before her dad told her he wanted her to go out to the house shows.

"Flair's believing his own hype. Why did you and Shane ever do business with him?" Jericho asked, curiously.

"It was Shane's idea. I kick myself every day for going along with his schemes." Stephanie replied, considering her brother decided to be a quitter and walk away from the business. "If I had followed my gut instincts from the start Flair wouldn't be in this position of power."

"Obviously that means we need to help your dad, regain full control of the company.” Kurt said, still feeling heated at Flair for ruining his chance of going to Wrestlemania and fight for the undisputed title. While he did enjoy teaming with Chris as the man was not only a good wrestler, he was a riot to hang out with behind the scenes, he still had the desire to be on top as the federation champion once again.

“Maybe, but I’d settle for just ousting Flair entirely from the business side of the WWF.” Stephanie replied, while she and her father had reconciled for the most part, she honestly didn’t have a desire to see him have absolute control over of the WWF again.

All three men looked at her suspiciously. Though she didn’t return any of their gazes as there were things she had in mind that she wasn’t quite ready to share and she didn’t really know if she could trust any of the guys, even Mark, not to rat her out to her father.  

“Princess, you are scary when you get that look in your eye.” Mark said, while he continued to scrutinized her. He made a mental note to pick her brains when they got back to the hotel.

“Look, I’d just rather focus on one task at a time. Besides, can any of you honestly say that my father in complete control of the federation doesn’t have its own pitfalls?”

All three men looked at her and then each other. While they were loyal to Vince in the long haul, none of them could say that there weren’t times that Vince could be problematic.

“I guess you have a point.” Kurt replied with a bit of a grimace.

“Trust me, Kurt. I know first hand how low my dad can go with absolute power. Isn’t that right, Mark?” Stephanie replied, giving him a pointed look.

“How many times am I going to have to apologize for the Ministry of Darkness thing?” Mark asked, annoyed and hurt that she was tossing that in his face now.

“Who was it that once said, ‘Betrayal is something that I can never forget, but it is something that I may be able to forgive’?” She asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Mark’s shoulders stiffened at her words, rather his own words being used against him several years after the fact as both Kurt and Jericho looked between the pair warily.

“Okay on that note, I’m going to grab me something to eat. Be back later.” Jericho said, ready to put distance between himself and the potentially warring couple.

“I’m right behind you, Chris.” Kurt chimed in as he quickly jumped to his feet and followed Jericho out the door, leaving Mark and Stephanie alone to discuss their issues.

“Why are you throwing this in my face now?’ He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Though he kept his gaze on the floor, rather than risk looking at her. He couldn’t help but feel incredibly hurt that she would do that, especially in front of Chris and Kurt no less.

“It isn’t my intention to hurt you, Mark. I have forgiven you for your part in tormenting me back then, but I haven’t forgotten about it.” She told him as she slowly moved her foot off the chair. “You have to know though, back then I had a huge crush on you that had been ongoing for years. Despite the brief conversations that happened between us, in my mind, I idealized you as almost the perfect man. So it really broke me when you and my dad used me as a pawn to get to Steve Austin.” She confessed. It was a long held secret that she never really thought she would tell anyone, let alone Mark.

Instantly he looked up at her with a look of regret and sadness. He had always regretted not going to her and telling her everything back then. If he had gone with his gut instinct back then, maybe it wouldn't have taken them so long to get together. Hell maybe they would have been the ones to whisk control away from Vince and Ric Flair would have never been an issue.

“Steph…” He started, but she held up a hand to stop him from interrupting her.

“It’s okay, Mark. I learned some valuable lessons back then. I learned that I needed to grow a thicker skin, if I were going to be in this business and that I couldn’t just rely on some hero to come along and save me. I learned that sometimes if you really want something badly enough that you have to be willing to do whatever it takes, even become the bad guy to get it.” She said candidly. "It made me realize that I couldn't stay sheltered and I had to learn how to take risks, if I were going to see any sort of pay off."

Slowly she stood up and walked over to him. Instinctively he glanced up at her, despite the cold and hardened tone coming from her mouth, her gaze still held warmth and great affection for him. She bent down and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I really _do_ forgive you, Mark. But now can you forgive me for the things I put you through afterwards? It wasn't a coincidence that Triple H kept coming for you the way he did. I always encouraged him because I wanted to see you crushed."

Mark inhaled sharply, not really expecting to hear her confessing to such things with blunt honesty. Slowly he reached out to grab her waist, before pulling her into his lap. "Yeah, I can forgive you." He replied, pressing a kiss to her jawline. "Though it seems I had it coming in any case.” He added, capturing her lips in a demanding kiss. He honestly hadn't realized what a profound effect that one angle had on Stephanie. But perhaps if he had stopped to _really_ think about it, he would have figured it out sooner.

 

xXx

 

After excusing themselves from Stephanie and Mark's awkward conversation, Kurt and Chris ended up leaving the arena on a quest for food. Their quest landing them at a nearby IHOP, waiting for their food to arrive.

“I swear Stephanie’s mood swings can give a guy whiplash.” Chris said, still feeling awkward over the way she had turned her venom from Ric Flair to Mark in a matter of minutes. “Mark looked pretty blindsided, I wonder if he realized what he was getting into when he got involved with her.”

“I don’t know. It was awkward sure, but I don’t think she was being vicious with him, just... _honest_.” Kurt rationalized. For him it came down to the look in her eyes. When she spoke of giving Flair a parting gift, those blue eyes of hers were as cold as ice, but when she looked at Mark, Kurt could see the warmth for the big guy. “Just because she has a soft spot for the deadman doesn’t mean she has to forget what happened between them in the past. He did some pretty nasty things to her.”

Chris looked at Kurt intently, before lightly shaking his head. “Man, you got it so bad for her. How long have you been in love with the princess?” Chris asked flatly.

Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his seat, though he didn’t answer the question, he didn’t bother to deny it either. He did love Stephanie and he would do anything for her. From defending her honor to watching her be with someone else for the sake of her happiness. “She’s my friend, Chris. I don’t know about you, but where I come from, being a friend means having their back, through thick and thin.”

“She’s my friend too, but let’s be real. Stephanie is a vicious bitch and I don’t mean that as an insult. But Taker has got his hands full with her.”

Kurt sighed again. He couldn’t help feeling annoyed as it just didn’t seem fair that all his plans had been all for not. The moment he realized that the ‘doctor’ Stephanie introduced to Hunter was an actor. He had been the one to dig up the proof of the commercial he remembered seeing. Sending the video to Linda McMahon had worked better than he expected. Hunter’s blow up cemented what Kurt himself had been saying all along. He knew Triple H wasn’t any good for Stephanie and that she deserved better. He just hadn’t expected the Undertaker to swoop in as quickly as he did. He never would have predicted that Stephanie and the Undertaker would end up falling into lust with each other only days after she was dumped at the altar. If Kurt had known the dead man was remotely competition, he would have taken care of him too.

“Are you going to be able to work with them or should we be trying to figure out how to get you out of being in a faction with Steph and Mark?”

“I’ll get over myself, Chris. Work wise, we four actually do work well together. I get why Vince wants us to be a faction.” Kurt conceded and well Stephanie had clearly made her choice. There was no use in crying over spilt milk.

"True, I just don't want to be caught in the middle of a love triangle."

"It can only be a love triangle if Stephanie were remotely interested in me. She's not, and I respect that. So no worries, I can be an adult." Kurt said reassuringly. While he had schemed hard against Hunter, he did actually respect Mark. Though if Mark hurt Stephanie, all bets were off.

 

xXx

 

Later that evening, while Mark was in the ring for his match with Hunter, Stephanie was in the locker room with Kurt. Since they had changed up the match order for this show, Kurt had the main event with Ric Flair, while Jericho and Rob Van Dam would be going on, second to last match.

“I guess it works out that you’re sitting out. Otherwise, you would have been on your feet for a long while.”

“I’m sure they did this on purpose to make sure I didn’t try to go out with any of you.” Stephanie said, fairly certain of her father’s fingerprints.

Kurt merely nodded as he looked at Stephanie intently. Despite his conversation with Jericho earlier, there was still a part of him that longed for her to see him as more than just a friend. Silently he checked himself as he knew no good could come of obsessing over what would never be his. He had known the day he had witnessed Stephanie and Mark click that fateful day on Smackdown.

While he had went to Stephanie's defense the day that Sara accused the pair of being involved. He had known for a fact that something went down between them. Neither had seen him that day of the Smackdown when he and Taker took on Maven and Triple H, they were too busy flirting with each other. At the time it looked like she was planning on leaving the venue as she had her suitcase with her. He had the misfortune of seeing them kiss, before Taker pulled her into his locker room and closed the door. That was the moment he knew his plan had backfired. However Stephanie was still his friend, so he was going to protect her. He was still protecting her.

"Something wrong, Kurt? You've been pretty quiet."

He was quickly snapped from his thoughts as he looked back over to Stephanie. "Nah, I was just thinking about my match. I've been pretty kind to Ric, but if he's going to be a jerk. Maybe I should be aiming to put his ass out to pasture."

"Don't break him just yet, Kurt. Though I wouldn't complain if you worked a little stiff with him tonight." She smirked.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. It was stuff like this that made her a friend first and foremost. "I'll keep that mind." He said with a grin.

"What's so funny, you two?" Jericho asked as he walked back into the locker room.

"Ric Flair." Kurt said simply.

"Oh, you planning some treats for him tonight?"

"Maybe, I'll see what he does first." Kurt said slyly, quite ready to put a hurting on Flair that he wouldn't forget. Just not enough to keep him from going to Wrestlemania.

Jericho smirked, recognizing that expression on Kurt's face. Which meant Flair was likely in for it.

 

xXx

 

It didn't take a genius for Ric to notice Kurt was working stiffly for their match. Especially in comparison to their previous match the night before. He could only surmise that Stephanie had indeed got in Kurt's ear like she had basically promised earlier in the night.

"Do you enjoy being Stephanie McMahon's puppet?" Ric asked as he and Kurt locked up.

"More like, I don't like people messing with my friends." Kurt replied, putting Ric into a headlock.

"Heh! She's just using you and you're letting her." Ric retorted, wrenching himself free, while pushing Kurt into the ropes.

Kurt bounced off the top rope before hitting Flair with a shoulder block, sending the older man down to the mat. Though Flair managed to get back to his feet rather quickly. Leaving both men standing face to face in a stand off.

"You should talk Flair, you used both her and Shane to get your paws on the WWF." Kurt shot back, before slugging Flair in the jaw, hard enough to make him stagger back. The referee quickly warning Kurt about the punching. This was a wrestling match after all.

Flair feeling pissed unleashed a series of chops on Kurt's chest that had the crowd cheering with a barrage of 'Woo's'. Though Kurt countered with a chops back to Flair's chest. Both men's skin beginning to turn red. Suddenly Kurt caught Flair and quickly suplexed him. The crowd started booing, while chanting 'You suck' at Angle.

But he wasn't detoured as he did three more suplexes on Flair, ringing the man's bell in the process. Flair clutched the back of his head and neck as he tried to scramble out of the ring to break up Angle's momentum. However he wasn't expecting a female fan in a black tracksuit with the hood pulled over her head to come over the barrier. While Kurt had the referee's attention, Flair took a lead pipe to the back as the mystery woman started to wear him out with said pipe. The crowd roared with boos and began throwing trash at the ring.

The moment members of security came out from the back, the mystery woman pulled her hood down to reveal it was none other than Stephanie McMahon. Kurt rolled out of the ring to throw Flair back inside the squared circle. Stephanie shrugged all attempts by security to grab her off. "Don't you touch me." She snapped as she watched, Kurt put Flair into an anklelock submission hold. The moment Flair tapped out, Stephanie turned on her own to head backstage, while berating the hecklers in the crowd and security. Despite the obvious limp in her walk, she never looked more dangerous.

By the time she made it through the backstage curtain, there was a small commotion between Jericho and Mark arguing with Hunter and Arn over what happened ringside.

"What the hell was that?" Hunter snapped at Stephanie immediately upon noticing her.

"Mind your own business, Hunter. This doesn't involve you!" She snapped back, pointing the lead pipe at him in a threatening manner. Despite her ankle protesting all the physical activity, she wasn't going to let any of them see her in pain. Thus she chose to walk away without another word.

Kurt came through the curtain a moment later to see the four men in a stare off. "Hey Arn, you should check on your friend, his ankle might be injured." Kurt feint concerned.

Knowing he couldn't do anything with his bad arm, Arn frowned, but chose to walk away to check on Ric. This was exactly what he was worried about when he warned him against going at Stephanie in the first place.

"He might not be able to kick your ass, Kurt, but I will if you seriously injured Flair." Hunter warned as he walked away.

"Whatever Hunter, I got an ankle lock with your name on it too." Kurt retorted. "Is Steph okay?"

"We don't know, she stormed off after snapping at Hunter." Jericho replied. "I bet the pain is catching up to her as the adrenaline wears off though."

Mark said nothing as he turned and went after Stephanie just in case she needed help.

"Man, she really wailed on Ric with that pipe. He never even saw it coming." Kurt said, clearly amused. Jericho laughed as both men headed back to the locker room to gather their things before they went back to the hotel for the night.


	8. Unexpected Dissension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Mark and Stephanie are getting on the same page, Mark is thrown a curve ball from another source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update this story. At the beginning of the month I ended up in the hospital with some medical issues. I'm doing better, but it has made the creative process an uphill battle. Hopefully more updates will be forth coming now that I am back on a roll.

By the time Stephanie and Mark made it back to the hotel, she didn't waste any time pouncing on Mark the moment they stepped into the hallway leading to their shared suite. Before he could swipe the card key, she had pushed his back against the door, crushing her lips to his in a heated kiss. Injury or no injury, it had felt down right liberating to beat the crap out of Ric Flair, hopefully he would take it as a sign that he shouldn’t have fucked with her in the first place. Suddenly they spilled through the door of the suite almost falling to the floor, but Mark managed to catch his balance, while keeping a grip on her. Immediately he kicked the door shut and she flipped the latch to lock it. Without a word between them, their lips crashed in another demanding kiss. 

Blindly Stephanie unzipped the jacket on her track suit and shrugged it off, revealing the tight black tank top underneath. He easily lifted her up off her feet, taking pressure off her ankle as he opted to lie her down against the cushions of the sofa, their lips still locked together. Roughly she tugged at his t-shirt, pulling it up until she was forced to break the kiss between them to pull the fabric over his head and tossing it aside haphazardly. 

“Mind the ankle, babe.” She warned as he shifted his weight against her. He moved a hand down to support her leg giving her the chance to feel the bulge forming in his jeans pressing against her pelvis.

“Are you sure you’re good to go though?” He asked, while nuzzling his face against her neck. It went without saying that he wanted her, but he didn’t want to risk hurting her either.

She grasped his face, pressing another kiss to his lips. “I’m sure.” She replied firmly, kissing him yet again. She had wanted to the night before, but her body’s need for sleep had taken precedence. Abruptly he pulled back from her lips, startling her for a second.

“In that case, let’s move this to the bed.” He chuckled, picking her as though she were as light as a feather, carrying her into the bedroom, so they could be more comfortable and they could run less risk of injuring her ankle further.

She let out a laugh, quickly finding her body pressing into the king size mattress. Mark positioning his knee between her thighs as he pulled her tank top over her head, followed quickly by him pulling her sports bra over her head next. His lips crushing down on hers eagerly as he would have been lying if he said he hadn’t been aching for her. It took a lot of self restraint not to ravish her sooner, her injury and his desire to take care of her, barely keeping him in check. As he broke away from her lips to pepper kisses over her chin, jawline and neck, she groaned at feeling his hips grinding against hers. Their bare chests pressing together, caused goosebumps to rise over her smooth skin.

Instinctively she grasped the back of his hair, while his tongue teased her collarbone, before moving down to suckle at one of her hardened nipples. “Oh yes…” She hissed, feeling his teeth teasingly grazing over her other nipple. Slowly he began kissing a trail down the center of her body, his tongue swirling over her navel, until finally he reached the waistband of her track pants. Slowly he moved her good leg off his waist as he moved to pull her pants and underwear down, taking care not to injured her ankle further as he finished undressing her. The sight of her fully nude body setting a raging fire in the very well of his stomach. Quickly he undressed himself before once again placing a knee between her parted thighs, impatiently she pulled him down into another heated kiss. Both her legs locking around his waist as her hands grasped the back of his neck. Despite the pain in her ankle she refused to let him pull away. 

Lightly he chuckled, his lips hovering over hers. “You want the reins, don’t you?” He whispered, knowing he couldn’t break away without hurting her ankle further and she knew it.

“Am I that transparent?” She whispered back, nipping at his bottom lip teasingly. A devious little smile playing on her lips.

“Alright then, you win.” He told her, dropping more kisses to her jawline before playfully tugging at her earlobe. The moment she released her legs from around his waist, he slowly rolled them over, allowing her to straddle him. She slightly grimaced from the pain in her ankle, but managed to adjust her position to take the pressure off of it. Once more she bent over to claim his lips in a demanding kiss, while dragging her nails down his chest. Her hips grinding in his, causing his cock to rub against her wet folds. He groaned into her mouth as his hands rubbed over her shoulders and back, before settling on her ass. Even on his back, he could still tease her, his large hands squeezing and kneading her ass cheeks.

Instinctively she pushed her ass back against his hands, her body enjoying his touch. Playfully she nipped at his jawline and neck, her teeth scraping over the skin of his neck as her nails drug down his chest. Playfully she nibbled and suckled at his neck, putting effort into leaving her own mark on him. Roughly he grabbed a hold of her hair, pulling her back into another demanding kiss cutting her off before she could leave more visible marks on his skin. She broke away from his lips, chuckling deviously. “What’s the matter, babe?” She asked, with an innocent lilt to her tone.

“I swear, you are the devil, woman.” He replied, nipping at her chin before she dipped her head down to kiss and lick a trail down his chest. Finally she maneuvered herself enough to grasp his cock and slowly begin stroking him methodically, doing her best to drive him crazy. He groaned, bucking his hips upwards into her hand.

“You wouldn’t have me, any other way, now would you?” She teased, positioning herself over his thighs as she made a show of swirling her tongue over the tip of his cock, lightly suckling at the forming beads of precum.

He inhaled sharply, watching her pink lips stretch over his length. Instinctively he pushed her hair out of her face, as she took more of his shaft into her mouth until she was practically swallowing him. The tip of his cock pushing just pass the back of her throat.

“Fuck, woman!” He snapped, still amazed that she could perform such a feat with seeming ease. Soon she found a steady rhythm as she bobbed her head up and down his cock, while stroking his shaft and fondling his sack. All the while, his panting and groaning grew louder as he felt himself getting closer to release. Suddenly she pulled back, her mouth making an audible pop as she pulled his cock from her lips. However before he could protest, she quickly impaled herself on his shaft. He growled at feeling her tight heat squeezing him in all the right places so suddenly.

“Sorry baby, I _need_ you inside me.” She whispered as she began to ride his cock. He gripped her hips tightly bucking his own hips upward as their bodies collided. She leaned over to kiss him again, forcing him to taste himself on her tongue. He tried to pull her down flush against his chest, but she kept her hands braced against his chest, while rolling her hips faster against him. Playfully she bit his bottom lip, tugging at it with her teeth before suckling hard on the same spot. The delicious friction building between them as she rode him as if he were a bucking bronco. Though the sweat forming over their bodies was enough for her hands on his chest to slip, just the opening he needed to flip them over. Suddenly she found her back pinned against the mattress as she breathlessly laughed at the way, he held her down with one strong hand around her throat.

“It’s my turn now, sweetheart.” He teased, his other hand moving to grab her leg to prevent her from locking it around his waist. At the same time, the position kept her injured ankle out of harm’s way.

“You just can’t help yourself.” She teased right back, her hands moving to grasp at his wrist in an attempt to free herself from his hold.

“What can I say, darling? I’m terrible at giving up control for long.” He confessed, claiming her lips in another demanding kiss, while simultaneously releasing his hold on her neck. Her hands immediately moved to grasping his face as their tongues wrestled for dominance. Though she was the first one to break away when he began thrusting inside her again.

“Fuck!” She cried out, before he kissed her again, her moans and groans getting swallowed into the depths of his mouth. The sweet friction again building as she could feel almost every inch of him inside her, his cock beating against her g-spot, while rubbing against her clit.

He broke away from her lips to bury his face against her neck, his teeth lightly scraping against her skin, while she dug her nails into his upper back. Instinctively he hissed as the tendrils of pain shot straight to his groin, bringing him that much closer to release. Though he was determined to see her go over the edge first as he adjusted his grip on her leg, shifting the position of his thrusts. Her panting, groaning and moaning increasing from his efforts. It wasn’t much longer that she finally tipped over that edge, crying out his name, even as he continued to pound within her, chasing his own release.

Finally as he hit his peak, he called out her name, his body momentarily collapsing against hers. They both panted heavily as she continued to grip him tightly to her. Slowly as they came back to their senses and their breathing normalized, their lips hovered over one another as they looked into each other’s eyes. Lightly she grasped his face again, playfully tapping her nose against his, the words hanging in the air between them still too heavy to speak as they chose to kiss again instead. It seemed neither one were ready to confess to those particular feelings just yet.

 

xXx

 

Arn lightly shook his head as Ric and Hunter discussed strategy for their six man tag match. He honestly didn’t like the odds, especially given that their third man was Taker’s brother. In his view that could only put Ric and Hunter at a disadvantage if they tried to get revenge for Stephanie’s attack on Ric from the night before. 

“What are you going to do, if Kane decides to work against you two?” Arn asked, not entirely convinced that the Big Red Machine’s bad blood with Kurt Angle would be enough to keep him on their side.

“I can take him out if need be.” Hunter replied firmly, confident that he could take down Kane if the monster didn’t keep himself in check.

“I really don’t like these odds, the cards are stacked against you and there’s not much help I can really give you.” Arn sighed with a shake of his head.

“We got this, Double A. They are cocky right now, that’s going to lead them into making mistakes.” Ric chimed in, positive that they could get the upper hand leading into the last Raw and Smackdown before Wrestlemania. He’d been the cocky heel in the past, he knew the mindset still. He wasn’t going to let _them_ keep the upper hand, the momentum was due to swing back their way. 

“Ric, you are a glutton for punishment. I got a bad feeling about all of this.” Arn confessed, unable to shake the feeling that things were going to get worse before they even remotely got better. There was just too many signs that something bigger than they could imagine was going on.

“Come on, Arn. Since when did you become such a harbinger of doom?” Hunter asked, sounding just a little annoyed.

“Kid, I’ve always been the pragmatic one. I had a long career because I knew when to take calculated risks and when to fold my cards, when the odds were against me.” Arn defended. He wasn’t anybody’s coward, but he wasn’t some big fool either. 

“My gut is telling me, that we can do this Arn. Trust me, this is a calculated risk.” Ric assured his friend, giving him a pat on the back.

 

xXx

 

Glenn found himself having lunch with his brother and Stephanie, before they were due to head over to the venue for the last house show of the weekend. Part of him wondered if it were a good idea considering they were supposed to be on opposite teams for the six man tag main event of the night, but they had been sharing a car for most of the trips.

“Flair and Hunter are probably going to try something tonight, you know. But my question, are you going to willing join them when they do?” Mark asked flatly.

Glenn sighed, not really wanting to discuss the match given the situation. “They’re my teammates, Mark. I can’t really turn on them, Vince wouldn’t like it. He wants us working separate remember?” Glenn reminded his brother, who simply frowned back at him.

“Like that has stopped us before.” Mark retorted, his voice almost a grumble.

“It’s fine, Glenn. You don’t have to turn against your team. I’m sure Kurt can keep you preoccupied.” Stephanie replied, giving Glenn an out from having to actively help Ric and Hunter in their match. She already had a back up plan to handle Ric and Hunter because she was convinced they would retaliate against her and the guys. "Besides it is likely me they will try to put on the shelf anyway." She added matter of factly.

"You don't have to go ringside, your ankle injury is enough reason to sit things out." Glenn said, simply. Even though he made the suggestion, he already knew she would be too stubborn to sit anything out. She was a McMahon after all.

"I could sit it out, but I won't. It's not my style." She replied with a sly smile. Glenn merely shook his head with an amused expression on his face.

"Just don’t get yourself more injured. I don’t think Vince would forgive me, since I convinced you to stay in the first place.” Mark stated as he lightly nudged her arm.

“It’s okay, babe. I know how to handle my father.” She said, bumping her shoulder against his arm in reassurance. 

Instinctively Mark dropped a kiss to her forehead, even as he shook his own head. All the while, Glenn just observed the pair quietly, noting the body language between them. It really didn’t take a genius to see that they were falling for each other. Inwardly he felt a slight pang of jealousy as his last few attempts at getting involved with someone had blown up spectacularly in his face. Meanwhile Mark had utterly blown it with the beautiful Sara, only to immediately land the gorgeous Stephanie McMahon. He would never understand how his brother could bounce back so quickly like that. 

The moment that Stephanie excused herself to go to the restroom, Mark turned his attention to his brother. “Something wrong, Glenn?” He asked, noting Glenn’s body language.

“Nope, just wondering how you keep lucking out with finding these women who are totally into you.” Glenn replied with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t call it luck. I’ve had my fair share of fails when it comes to relationships.” Mark said with a shrug.

“And how many of them were because of the girls and not because you fucked things up?” Glenn asked pointedly.

That question earning him an instant glare from his older brother. “Where the fuck is this coming from?” Mark questioned, wondering why now Glenn wanted to be an asshole to him all of a sudden.

Glenn merely rolled his eyes as he leaned back against his seat before letting out a sigh. “Nevermind, forget I asked.” He replied, definitely feeling his annoyance grow.

“Glenn.” Mark said firmly, unwilling to let the subject drop, since Glenn saw fit to go there in the first place.

“Just forget it, Mark. It’s not like we really got time to hash anything out.” Glenn snapped, getting up to go to the restroom himself.

Mark simply frowned, making a mental note to talk to Glenn later, when Stephanie wasn’t around. Clearly there was an issue that needed to be addressed, if Glenn was choosing to lash out at him so suddenly. The last thing he needed was to have his brother turn on him yet again.

 

xXx

 

Stephanie said nothing as they made their way to the venue, but she picked up on the tension between Mark and Glenn. However, she waited until she and Mark had split off from Glenn to ask about it. 

“Are you and Glenn okay?” She asked cautiously.

“Honestly I don’t know. I think he’s pissed at me for something, but he won’t tell me what.” Mark replied with a shrug.

Stephanie simply frowned, but decided to leave the subject alone. They had other things to worry about, hopefully whatever was eating at Glenn wouldn’t affect the match later in the night. They remained silent as they finally made it to their assigned locker room. Jericho and Kurt were already there discussing strategies for the six man tag match.

“Hey you two, we were wondering when you would show up.” Jericho greeted.

“We stopped to get something to eat before coming to the arena.” Stephanie said simply.

“How’s your ankle doing?” Kurt asked as he relinquished his seat to her.

“It’s still sore, but manageable.” She replied, taking the seat that Kurt offered, while propping her leg up on the bench.

“Hey big man, how much are we going to have to worry about your brother tonight?” Jericho asked Mark, as they had been discussing Kane before Taker and Steph came into the locker room.

Mark simply shrugged, not even sure how to answer that question given Glenn’s sudden mood shift at lunch. Stephanie sighed, giving Mark a sympathetic stare.

“You guys should probably consider him completely on Hunter and Flair’s side.” Stephanie answered, even as Mark’s shoulders stiffened. “Sorry babe, but he’s too much of a threat to take lightly.”

Mark remained silent, but Jericho and Kurt nodded in acknowledgement of Stephanie’s suggestion. They weren’t planning on taking Kane lightly, but from the sounds of it, they might have to consider the worse case scenario in regards to the Phenom’s brother.

 

xXx

 

Later that evening, Stephanie accompanied Jericho to the ring during the six man tag match as he was her original business partner. Despite the limp, she managed to make it to the ring without too much issue. Though she chose not to go inside the ring as she didn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on her ankle. The Undertaker came out next to a mix of cheers and some boos as the house show crowd were just excited to see him. Though the mood of the crowd once again shifted when he paused outside the ring to drop a quick kiss to Stephanie’s cheek as they hugged. Still playing up their storyline romance as per their instructions.

“Be careful, Steph.” He whispered in her ear. She simply patted his lower back as she nodded. Just as he went to get in the ring, Kurt Angle came out next. The ‘You Suck’ chants beginning immediately. He simply shrugged off the chants as he made his way to the ring. As they waited for their opponents, they quickly went over their basic game plan for the match overall one more time.

It didn’t take long for Flair, Hunter and Kane to make their entrances out to the ring, the crowd giving each man a huge pop. As all the men stood in the ring, there was a noticeable tension between Kane and the Undertaker that the crowd picked up on. So much so, that a ‘Kane’ chant broke out. While Kurt offered to start off, Taker waved him off.

“I got this.” Taker said firmly.

Stephanie instinctively frowned, not really liking this particular development. She had to question whether or not things really went to hell in the short time that she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room back at the restaurant? Though she noted that Hunter and Ric seemed just as surprised by this development as Kurt, Jericho and herself. The moment the referee called for the bell, Taker and Kane started pummeling each other, the crowd immediately going crazy to see the brothers of destruction at each other’s throats again.

“What the hell is your problem?” Taker snapped as he and Kane locked up.

“You’re my problem!” Kane snapped back, kneeing Taker in the gut, before delivering an uppercut.

Taker staggered back into the turnbuckle and Kane tried to clothesline him but was hit with an elbow to the face instead. “I don’t even know why you are pissed at me!” Taker retorted, throwing Kane into the turnbuckle and proceeding to unleash a barrage of punches to his midsection.

Kane managed to block some of the hits, before hitting Taker with another high knee to the gut and quickly clotheslining him down to the mat. “That’s because you’re a selfish asshole!” Kane gritted out, following up with stomping down hard on Taker’s torso. 

Kane moved to bounce off the top rope in an attempt to leg drop Taker, but Stephanie grabbed his leg to trip him up. Almost immediately Kane ducked through the middle ropes and tried to grab Stephanie by the hair, but Kurt jumped off the apron and grabbed Kane’s head, snapping his throat off the middle rope. Hunter and Flair jumped off the apron and ran around to the other side to attack Jericho and Kurt. The referee moved out of the ring to try and stop them, meanwhile Kane and Taker continued to pummel each other. During the chaos, Stephanie grabbed the time keeper’s chair and moved around to the other side of the ring. The moment Kane hit the ropes, she slammed the chair right into the back of his head.

Kane staggered forward, grasping his head and immediately found himself getting chokeslammed. The referee jumped into the ring to do the three count as Stephanie found herself at the mercy of Hunter, who had made his way over to her before she could flee. Though Jericho managed to make the save, hitting Hunter in the back of his head with one of his title belts. The bell rang as the announcer declared Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and the Undertaker the winners of the match. Jericho quickly helped Stephanie to the back, before Hunter, Flair and Kane could recover.

“Are you alright, Steph?” He asked as he held onto her waist, while she limped along.

“I will be, once I get some ice on my ankle.” She panted, her adrenaline the only thing keeping her from being in even more pain.

“What the hell is going on with Kane?” Jericho asked, totally surprised by the way he went for blood out there.

She merely shook her head, because she hadn’t a clue. “I think I better ride back with you. Mark is probably going to want to talk to Kane alone.”

“It’s cool, you know I got your back.” He said as they made it into the locker room. 

Almost immediately she sat down and put her leg up, her hands moving to grasp her ankle. A few minutes later Kurt and Taker came into the locker room, or rather Kurt was ushering Taker into the locker room as he shouted at the likes of Kane, Hunter and Flair. The officials trying to keep the guys separated.

“Taker!” Kurt finally snapped, pulling him fully into the locker room before shutting the door. “What the heck is going on with you two?!”

Taker didn't answer, he simply proceeded to pace back and forth trying to calm himself down, while Kurt, Jericho and Stephanie looked on helplessly.

“Babe, you _really_ need to get this shit sorted with your brother.” Stephanie said, quite fed up with the situation and ready to go to the trainer to get her ankle rewrapped and iced, since it was throbbing.

“The fucker expects me to be a mind reader!” Mark snapped, causing Stephanie to roll her eyes.

“Oh my god, Mark stop and think. He must have said something to give you a hint as to why he is mad!” She snapped back. “What was the last thing he said to you before he started giving you the cold shoulder?” She asked, trying to get him to really think things over.

Mark instantly stopped pacing as he remembered the shitty question Kane asked him about his relationship fails at the restaurant. However he wasn’t going to share that with Stephanie, Kurt and Jericho. Slowly he rubbed a hand over his forehead as he let out a huff and headed for the door. “I’ll see you back at the hotel.” He told Stephanie, before exiting the locker room.

“I guess that means he doesn’t want to tell us, why Kane is mad?” Kurt asked, looking at the closed door.

“More like he probably doesn’t want to tell me.” Stephanie said as she gingerly climbed to her feet. “I need to go to the trainer.” She sighed, trying to mask her annoyance with the situation.

“Do you need help, Steph?” Kurt asked, offering her a hand.

“Yeah, I could definitely use a hand.” She replied, taking a hold of his hand. “I shouldn’t be too long.” She told Chris, since he was her ride back to the hotel.

“No problem, I’m just going to clean up and change.” Jericho replied with a reassuring smile. He simply shook his head as Kurt and Stephanie walked out the door. Leaving him to lament over the fact that the last house show before Wrestlemania suddenly turned into a huge clusterfuck. The only good thing to come of it, was the fact that Taker and Kane’s sudden strife had seemingly halted whatever plan that Triple H and Flair had up their sleeves.

 

xXx

 

Glenn sat in his locker room, holding an ice pack to the back of his head as he tried to calm himself down. Regal had already finished cleaning up and had left, while Rob Van Dam was still in the shower. Thus he was trying to take advantage of the relative silence, while he collected his thoughts. Though the silence was short lived as Mark walked into the locker room, scowling at him.

“Fuck off, Mark.” Glenn said, using the wall to prop the ice bag up against the back of his head as he closed his eyes.

“No, not until we have this out. Are you fucking jealous of me or something?” Mark asked pointedly.

Glenn instantly stiffened as his eyes snapped back open. Immediately he glared at Mark, his irritation with his brother’s obliviousness starting to get the better of him again. “You’re such a fucking asshole!”

“You’re the one who said _I_ was your problem! So don’t act like I’m trying to be a pompous ass here! What the hell is your problem with me? Are you just mad because I’m with Stephanie? You’re the one who encouraged me to make up with her, so I’m not getting you here!”

Glenn finally snapped, tossing the ice bag against the wall as he stood up and got in Mark’s face. “No, it isn’t that you are just with Stephanie! Do you even fucking realize how many chances you have gotten with women like Stephanie and Sara...hell even Jodi and Tracy! Meanwhile every relationship I’ve been in has ended in betrayal! I literally can't trust anyone, while you are actively throwing good women away!” Glenn shouted, not giving a damn if Rob overheard the conversation.

Mark openly flinched at Glenn’s assessment of his relationships, not even realizing how lonely his brother was feeling without companionship. He couldn’t even argue against him as Glenn was right about him messing up his relationships. While Jodi had cheated on him, he hadn’t exactly been innocent and well everyone knew what happened with Sara. There was no argument to be given there as he had definitely wronged her. 

“Glenn, I haven’t been actively trying to throw relationships away. Jodi and I grew apart, which lead to us both going astray. Tracy was a gold digger, plain and simple. While I did wrong Sara, I shouldn’t have married her in the first place.” He admitted, dropping down onto the bench.

Glenn hadn’t expected Mark to cop to any of his transgressions, but that last proclamation about Sara had left him feeling confused. “Why do you say that?” Glenn asked, sitting down next to his brother.

“Because I was into someone else, but since they were taken, I chose to move on. Sara and I got along great, she has always been more like a buddy than a spouse to me. So I mixed up being comfortable with her for being in love with her. I know now that I was _never_ in love with Sara...” He trailed off.

“I know, you’re in love with Stephanie.” Glenn filled in the blank. He knew that by their interactions at the restaurant. Mark’s shoulders stiffened as the truth of those words really hit him full force. So far he had avoided saying it or even really letting himself think it. They had only been together for a couple of months. It felt as though it was too soon to be in love with her, but that’s exactly what he was feeling for her.

“Is it that obvious?” Mark asked, dropping his face into his hands.

“To anyone who knows you two.” Rob chimed in, walking out of the shower area, completely dressed in his street clothes now.

Both Glenn and Mark slightly jumped at Rob’s sudden entrance. “Sorry guys, I’m guessing you forgot I was back there?” Rob asked Glenn.

“Yeah, can you pretend you didn’t hear any of the last few minutes?” Glenn asked with a sheepish smile, while Mark glared at him.

“You got it, man. For what it is worth, Glenn. Just because you had some bad luck in love, doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there for you. Don’t let the past dictate your future.” Rob said as he gathered his things. “I’ll leave you guys alone.” He added as he headed toward the door. Though he paused before opening it. “Oh by the way, Mark. Love doesn’t have a time stamp on it. It happens when it happens. If you are in love with Stephanie than take it as a sign from the universe that she’s the one for you.” With those words said, Rob left the locker room, leaving the brothers of destruction to ponder his parting words.

“I’m sorry for getting pissy with you.” Glenn apologized, once the silence became too deafening.

“I’m sorry too man. I didn’t realize you were still hurting over the shit that went down with your exes.” Mark sighed. “I’m a terrible older brother.”

“You’re not a terrible brother, Mark. We’re both used to being loners and keeping everyone at arm’s length. That’s something we both need to work on.” Glenn replied, placing a hand on Mark’s shoulder.

Mark merely nodded his agreement, though he still felt like the biggest failure when it came to his brother. What had been the point of reconciling if they were going to ignore each other’s existence while working separately?

“I’m going to go clean up and then I’ll meet you at the car.” Mark said as he slowly climbed to his feet.

“Alright, see you in a little while.” Glenn agreed, watching his brother’s retreating back. Inwardly he sighed, while silently hoping that Rob was right about him finding love one day. He also hoped that he and Mark got back on track, since he finally realized that he missed not interacting with his brother more often. It hadn’t occurred to him how much he missed their frequent interactions until they had majorly slowed down due to them working different storylines. Work really shouldn’t have been the only reason they interacted with each other, that would just be sad. 

 

xXx

 

By the time Mark made it back to the hotel suite, Stephanie was lying on the sofa with her ankle propped up and iced. For a moment he thought she was asleep, since she had an arm resting over her eyes. Though she lifted her arm up to glance at him at the moment he moved closer to her.

“Did you get things resolved with your brother?” She asked, curiously. While doing her best to keep her own irritation at bay. However the grimace that appeared across Mark’s face was telling of the fact that she was likely failing in that endeavor.

“Don’t tell me, you’re mad at me now too.” He said, dropping down into the armchair near the sofa.

Stephanie sighed as she sat up to look at him. “Mark, I’m not mad. I’m just a little irritated. Now answer my question.” She replied.

“Yes, we figured it out.” He sighed, not really wanting to go into it with her. Especially since he still wasn’t sure if he could confess his full feelings to Stephanie at present.

“Heh, and I thought Shane and I had issues.” She said, draping her arm back over her face. “So does Glenn have a problem with me?”

“No, he doesn’t. He was just…” He paused, trying to find the right phrasing for the situation. Finally he inhaled sharply. “I haven’t really been there for him these past few months and it was beginning to strain things between us.” He admitted. It wasn’t the only issue, but it was the only one he was willing to discuss with her at the moment.

“Goodness, when you two let things fester, you _really_ let things fester. I sometimes forget that you two didn’t really get to grow up together.” She replied, looking up at the ceiling. Inwardly she was tired, so she didn’t really want to fight with Mark. Even if she felt that he wasn’t being entirely forthcoming with her. However when she thought about it, things were still new between them, so there were bound to be awkward subjects between them. Thus there was no sense in pushing, hopefully they would grow comfortable enough to share without prompting.

“Yeah well, we aren’t exactly big talkers. Even for the short time we spent together during our childhoods, we weren’t really encouraged to share our feelings.” Mark said with a shrug.

Slowly Stephanie sat up more, her expression softening as she understood that aspect of his upbringing better than he likely thought. “Come here.” She beckoned, reaching out for him. He moved over to the sofa, slowly pulling her into his lap as he sat down with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss. Lightly she rested her forehead against his, while one of her hands rubbed the back of his neck. “You know there are other ways to share feelings without talking.” She whispered.

Mark simply chuckled as he leaned back in to kiss her again as she was right, there were other ways to share feelings without saying a word. Actions definitely spoke louder than words.


End file.
